["The Missing Koombana", The Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette (Cue, WA), Tuesday 02 April 1912, page 3]
CAPTAIN ALLEN.
Captain Tom Allen, of the Koombana, is a native of South Australia, and is about 48 years of age. He is a single man, and in his moments of holiday lives with his mother in the Port Adelaide district. His father is a well known South Australian pilot, and has made many trips to the State in the days gone by. An elder brother of Tom's was born about 40 years ago on the site of the present Orient Hotel in Fremantle (then known as the Emerald Isle). Captain Allen has been about a quarter of a century in the employ of the Adelaide Steamship Company, but in 1894, he left to join the Port Adelaide pilot service. Perhaps the call of the deep came once again to him, for in 1905 or 1906 he rejoined the company. He was at once entrusted with the important mission of bringing out to Australia the new steamer Echunga, and some months afterwards he again set out for London for the purpose of bringing the Junee to her trading areas. Captain was then employed as master in several traders, and in August of last year he succeeded J. Rees as master of the now overdue Koombana.
