Five Brisbane children who disarmed their shotgun-wielding father have explained how they banded together to save their mother’s life.

Rachel Moore was at her Brisbane home on April 11 last year when her ex-partner and father to two of her five children, Daryl Fields, stormed inside armed with a shotgun.

As Ms Moore and the children hid in the bedroom, Fields fired and struck the mother in her arm twice, which inflicted an horrific injury and caused her to lose consciousness.

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As Fields reloaded the weapon, the kids sprang into action.

Rachael Moore's children comfort her in hospital. (60 Minutes)

Her 12-year-old son Cameron ran at Fields, snatched away the weapon and ran to hide it outside.

As an enraged Fields set upon Ms Moore again, 14-year-old Jayden and Cameron punched and choked Fields to the point of unconsciousness.

Their 10-year-old sister then helped Ms Moore outside, tending to her wounds with a recently purchased first aid kit.

Ms Moore’s four-year-old son had grabbed his two-year-old sister and hid under the bed.



60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown met the children, who showed incredible humility in the wake of the ordeal.

“I kept telling them how incredible they are,” Brown told 60 Minutes.

“They feel proud of themselves but at the end of the day say they don’t think about how brave they were.

“They’re happy they saved their mum, that’s all that matters.”

Rachael Moore speaks with reporter Tara Brown. (60 Minutes)

Remarkably, the boys had learned some of their skills in an acting class.

Brown said the kids’ bravery showed the power of their love for their mother.

“Clearly their instinct and the skills they learned - motivated by love for their mother - overcame the strength of a man twice their size and the adrenaline they were all feeling in that room that night,” she said.

“All that was overcome by goodness, instinct and love.”

Fields was later charged with a string of offences including attempted murder, common assault and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The federal government yesterday announced a $100m package aimed at tackling the scourge of domestic violence.

Three of Rachael Moore's children recount the horrific ordeal. (60 Minutes)

Brown said it was pleasing to be able to present a story from the children’s point of view.

“What our story does is it highlights the aftershock of domestic violence,” she said.

“We quite rightly focus on the women who are targeted in these cases.