[1] He began his architectural studies under the patronage of the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme, after serving in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an aircrew trainee.
[2] In 1949, at the age of 25, Burns founded the magazine Architecture and Arts with his colleagues, James Birrell, Helen O’Donnell and Norman Lehey, and was responsible for editing the first five issues himself.
Reeds initially confided in Burns to design his beach house as an experiment to push Modernist architecture in Melbourne in preparation for the renovation of the Heide.
However, they ultimately deferred Burns design in favour of David McGlashan, whose project reflected the bay and sand dunes while protecting a central courtyard.
In 1960 fellow art enthusiast Georges Mora asked Burns to design a simple open plan beach house in Aspendale.
[8] Every summer Burns would accompany his fellow artists to parties at the Mora's and Reeds Beach houses, a place where they could paint the horizon over the bay and enjoy the company and Ideas of others in CAS.