toby was born in the town of lae in papua new guinea on the 8th of sugust 1973, where his parents were working at the time.
when he was 2 the family moved back to canberra where toby grew up.

during his school years toby took up water polo and swimming. he later became a breaststroke champion.
at age 12, toby got his first taste of showbiz when he played 'baby john' in a prduction of 'west side story'. he enjoyed it so much that he decided to pursue his singing abilities.
at 14, toby moved to sydney to become a boarder a hurlestone agricultural high school in sydney's south-west. he joined the choir and made friends with 2 boys in his year - andrew tierney and phil burton. [later to become HN bandmates]

His immense intellegence shone through at the completion of Year 12. toby received an ENTER score in the high 90's. in 1992, he attended sydney university majoring in accounting and geology. after 2 1/2 years, toby decided to leave uni, much to the dismay of his mother, and join his friends andrew, phil and andrew's younger brother michael, in making their musical group 'the 4trax' a permanent career.

with toby's deep baritone vocals and the exquisite harmonies achieved by the group their talent was obvious. this was proved in 1995 when the demanded to sing for sony music cheif executive dennis handlin who was so impressed that he signed the group, now 'human nature' on the spot.

Over the last years we've seen toby grow from a strapping lad of 21 to the 28 year-old man we know now. his classic good looks and unusual deep voice make him a favourite among fans.

in the tradition of modern pop groups, the members of human nature have started to branch out their talents. while brothers andrew and michael are concentrating on their song writing, and phil is working on his own publishing company, toby is reaching into the world of television. co-hosting 'bosy + soul' is not the first time he's appeared on the small screen in recent years. bourke's backyard took a tour of his old home in 1997 and he appeared as a contestant of GNW Nite Lite in 1998.