James Burns (Australian shipowner)
Sir James Burns KCMG (February 10, 1846 – August 22, 1923) was a Scottish-born Australian businessman, shipowner and philanthropist. He co-founded Burns Philp & Company, a major shipping and trading firm, and established the Burnside Presbyterian Homes for Children in North Parramatta (now UnitingCare Burnside).
Born in Polmont, Scotland, Burns was the son of merchant David Burns and studied in Edinburgh. He moved to Queensland in 1862 and worked as a jackaroo in western Queensland for three years. In 1865 he started a Brisbane store, Burns & Scott, with his brother and opened branches in Gympie, One Mile Creek and Kilkivan in 1867. After his father’s death, he returned to Scotland in 1870, briefly helped with relief efforts after the Paris Commune of 1871, then went back to Queensland.
In 1871 Burns set up a new trading company in Townsville and later loaned money to Robert Philp to become a partner. The business owned sail and steam ships and traded between Queensland and Sydney. This grew into the Queensland Steam Shipping Company, which later joined with Burns Philp. The company expanded to ports in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands and diversified into many trading ventures.
Burns held many leadership roles. He was chairman of the North Queensland Insurance Co. Ltd (1886–1923), and a director of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, the Bank of North Queensland, the Solomon Islands Development Co. and the NSW Mortgage, Land and Agency Co., among others. He also owned large pastoral properties.
He served on a royal commission into railway administration in 1906 and was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1908. In the military, he joined the Parramatta troop of the 1st Royal New South Wales Lancers in 1891, rose to colonel, and commanded the 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade until 1907.
Burns was also active in the Caledonian Society for two decades. During World War I he helped set up an insurance scheme for soldiers’ dependants and donated £2,000 a year to support it. In the 1880s he settled at a property called Gowan Brae near Parramatta and, after retiring from public life in 1908, dedicated much of his time to philanthropy. In 1910 he helped establish the Presbyterian Homes for Children at Burnside and served as its chairman for ten years.
He died at Gowan Brae on August 22, 1923, aged 77, and was buried there. He left Gowan Brae to his son James, with the wish that if it was not needed for his family it should be given to Burnside. The land around Gowan Brae has since been used by several schools and Burnside continues as a welfare charity.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:39 (CET).