Background
De Burgh was born in New Zealand on 11 April 1971, and moved to Brisbane in Australia in 1991.
De Burgh was born in New Zealand on 11 April 1971, and moved to Brisbane in Australia in 1991.
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. Four months after the accident, he began an apprenticeship at a golf course. De Burgh started swimming in the early 1990s.
In the freestyle and butterfly events at the 1996 Games, he set Australian records.
He was a 1997 and 1998 Motor Accidents Authority Paralympian. In 1998, he competed at the IPC World Championships in Christchurch.
In 1999, he competed in the German and United Kingdom national swimming championships. His medal haul at these two events included five gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze medal.
In 2000, his competitive sport participation was sponsored by the Motor Accidents Authority in New South Wales.
In 1995, the Australian Paralympic Federation named De Burgh their Developing Paralympian of the Year.