Mr Burns started his career as a design engineer in 1975 at what was then the Bendigo Sewerage Authority.

Since then he has held a number of key positions at  Coliban Water including being chief engineer on the new Bendigo Water Reclamation Plant at Epsom. Completed in 1991, it was one of the first purpose-built biological nutrient removal (BNR) plants in Australia.

During the Millennium Drought when customers faced severe water restrictions, Mr Burns was often the spokesperson for Coliban Water, speaking with community groups, customers and media outlets.

“The Millennium Drought was a difficult time for our communities and, understandably, there was a lot of public concern and media interest,” said Mr Burns.

“I remember attending public meetings to explain to our rural customers that we were unable to supply them. You could feel the angst in the room but people were generally very understanding of the situation.”

“The completion of the Goldfields Superpipe in 2007 to connect the Waranga Western Channel with our water supply system greatly improved our water security for our large urban areas.

“It was a huge relief when the pump at Colbinabbin was turned on for the first time and we watched water flow into the bottom of Sandhurst Reservoir,” said Mr Burns.

Mr Burns was also involved in a number of other projects that delivered improved services to the region.