William Aubrey Burnage was the son of Thomas Aubrey Burnage (born c. 1824, died 4 January 1902) and Kezia Agatha Burnage (born c. 1826, died 13 September 1901.)
In the mid-1870s, Burnage became a partner in Hugh McDicken's printing and publishing business in Newcastle (see notice in the Newcastle Chronicle, 27 November 1875, p.4); McDicken sold his share in the partnership to Burnage in January of the following year, leaving Burnage the sole proprietor (see notice in the Newcastle Chronicle, 25 January 1876, p.2).
According to his obituary (Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 10 December 1881, p.4), William Aubrey Burnage was 34 years old when he died in 1881.