Sir James Burns

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

(10 February 184622 August 1923) was a noted businessman, shipowner and philanthropist in Australia. In particular, he is known as the co-founder of

Burns Philp Burns Philp (properly Burns, Philp & Co, Limited) was once a major Australian shipping line and merchant that operated in the South Pacific. When the well-populated islands around New Guinea were targeted for blackbirding in the 1880s, a new ...

and Company, a shipping and trading company, and for establishing the Burnside Presbyterian Homes for Children in

North Parramatta North Parramatta is a suburb of the City of Parramatta, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 24 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. History The Darug peo ...

(now known as UnitingCare Burnside), a children and family welfare organisation.

Early life

Burns was born at

Polmont Polmont ( gd, Poll-Mhonadh) is a village in the Falkirk council area of Central Scotland. It lies towards the east of the town of Falkirk, north of the Union Canal, which runs adjacent to the village. Due to its situation in Central Scotland, ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, the son of a merchant, David Burns, and educated at Newington Academy and the Royal High School in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. He migrated to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

in 1862 and worked for three years in Western Queensland as a jackaroo. In 1865 he formed a

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

store, Burns & Scott, in partnership with his brother, and established the first stores in

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods Gympie occasionally. The ...

and nearby One Mile Creek and Kilkivan in 1867, when gold was found there. He then sold his interests and returned to Scotland in 1870 after the death of his father. He briefly visited France as an observer and assistant in relief efforts after the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

of 1871 before returning to Queensland.

Business and other activities

In 1871, Burns returned to North Queensland to establish a new trading company in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. He later loaned

Robert Philp Sir Robert Philp, (28 December 1851 – 17 June 1922) was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908. Early life Philp was born in ...

enough money to become a partner in the enterprise. The company thrived through ownership of sail and steam powered trading ships, initially leased to ensure a steady supply of goods between Queensland and Sydney. This formed the basis of the Queensland Steam Shipping Company Limited, later amalgamated into

, which remains as a major trading company today. The shipping expanded into various ports in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

and the Pacific Islands, and the company branched into various trading endeavours throughout the following decades. In addition to establishing Burns Philp, his business interests include serving as chairman of the (North) Queensland Insurance Co. Ltd in 1886–1923, the New South Wales Mortgage, Land, and Agency Co. and the Solomon Islands Development Co. Ltd. He was also a director of the

Australian Mutual Provident Society AMP is a financial services company in Australia and New Zealand providing superannuation and investment products, financial advice, and banking products (through AMP Banking) including home loans and savings accounts. Its headquarters is in Syd ...

, the Sydney Exchange Co., the Bank of North Queensland, and various collieries, as well as owning extensive Queensland pastoral properties. Burns served on a royal commission of inquiry into railway administration in 1906 and was appointed to the

Legislative Council of New South Wales The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

in 1908. He joined the

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

troop of the

1st Royal New South Wales Lancers The 1st Royal New South Wales Lancers was an Australian Army light cavalry (reconnaissance) regiment. Its complicated lineage includes the New South Wales Lancers which was first formed as a colonial unit in 1885 as the New South Wales Cavalry, a ...

as a trooper in June 1891 and was immediately promoted Captain, and became Major in January 1896. From September 1897 to June 1903 he commanded the regiment as its Lieutenant-Colonel. He was promoted to Colonel in July 1903 and commanded the 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade until January 1907, when he retired. Burns was president of the Caledonian Society for twenty years. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Burns helped establish a scheme for insuring enlisted men with dependants, personally contributing £2000 a year during the duration of the war.

Later life

From the 1880s, Burns was based at a property known as Gowan Brae, north of

. He retired from government and business activities due to ill health in 1908, and lived at Gowan Brae from that time on. Shortly afterwards, he approached the Presbyterian Church of Australia, suggesting that they establish a Presbyterian home for children. In 1910 he endowed some of the Gowan Brae property, to establish the Presbyterian Homes for Children (later renamed Burnside and currently known as UnitingCare Burnside) and was chairman of its board for ten years. It became his passion in his "retired" years, as he made numerous contributions towards new homes and the children. His business and government connections ensured that donations from other sources were also forthcoming, with houses named after sponsors and officially opened by dignitaries. Burns continued to live at Gowan Brae until his death and was buried there in a family cemetery, which now lies within The King's Schools grounds. He left the property to his son, James, but suggested that, should James not need the property, it should be given to the (then) Burnside Presbyterian Orphans Homes. James honoured this request, and the property was donated. Much of the land has since been sold or leased to other organisations, or as residential developments. The property immediately around Gowan Brae is now owned by The King's School, while sections of the property are now owned by the Redeemer Baptist School and Tara Anglican School for Girls, with some still owned by the Synod of New South Wales and the ACT of the

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Uni ...

for Burnside's own operations and the synod's activities such as the archives, Camden Library and the Uniting Theological College.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, James 1846 births 1923 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Scottish businesspeople Australian Presbyterians Scottish Presbyterians People from Polmont People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Australian company founders Scottish emigrants to Australia