Chris Allen was born in Perth, Western Australia. A former paratrooper, Chris served with the Australian Army including attachments to the New Zealand Army, the British Parachute Regiment and deployments to Africa, South East Asia and Central America. He retired at the rank of Major. In addition to his military career, Chris led security operations for a major international aid agency in East Timor during the 1999 emergency, oversaw the upgrade of Counter Terrorism First Response measures at Sydney Airport in 2002, and in 2003 when protestors painted 'No War' on the sails of the Sydney Opera House, he was headhunted to take over the protection of the iconic landmark. In 2008 he was appointed Sheriff of New South Wales. Chris now lives on the New South Wales south coast with his wife Sarah and their sons, Morgan and Rhett.
