Who was James Burns?
James Burns, the founder of the giant Burns Philp & Company Ltd, was born in Edinburgh in Scotland in 1846. James, and his elder brother John, arrived in Brisbane in December 1862. James worked as a jackeroo on several outback stations in southern Queensland and returned to Brisbane several years later to join his brother John who had since opened up a small grocery store in Brisbane. James later set up his own store in Gympie together with a partner, Robert Philp, and this was the beginning of a partnership that founded the giant empire of Burns Philp and Company Limited throughout Queensland and up into Thursday Island then throughout the Pacific Islands nations.
Tags: Burns Philp, James Burns, John Burns, Robert Philp