De Burgh was born in New Zealand on 11 April 1971,[1] and moved to Brisbane in Australia in 1991.

[2] At the age of 16, his trail-bike was hit by a car while he was performing a U-turn and his right leg was amputated above the knee due to his injuries.

[2] At the Championship, he was part of the Australian 4 x 100 m relay team that won a gold medal.

[2] In 2000, his competitive sport participation was sponsored by the Motor Accidents Authority in New South Wales.

[3] In 1995, the Australian Paralympic Federation named De Burgh their Developing Paralympian of the Year.