It's a long way from being a cub reporter on a local newspaper to becoming anchorman for CNN International, but it didn't take Michael Holmes long to cover the distance. Being good at his work was essential for his progress. Undoubtedly his cheerfulness and buoyancy helped him to forge ahead, along with the physical well-being built during his outdoor boyhood life in Australia. Additionally he had the eager, confident attitude of "always looking to do something different."

At 17, straight from high school in Perth, Western Australia, Michael became a cub reporter with the Perth Daily News. "I don't recall ever wanting to do anything else," he said. Even whilst he was still at school he used to freelance with little filler pieces that were published. He stayed five years with the newspaper, then looking for something different within the same broad framework, thought he would "try the TV route." Blond and photogenic, he joined the Nine Network in Perth.

"I always had a burning desire to work in Fleet Street, even if for only 24 hours," he said. Accordingly, from the television network he and two friends took themselves to London. "We were young, single and silly," Michael laughed. "We were three guys from Australia living in a house in Putney, London, and having a good time." Whilst not expecting to work seriously or for long in England, Michael picked up some work with The Observer and some television news agencies. "We found that Australians before us in England had laid the groundwork, and left good reputations. We were thought good at our jobs, well equipped by our training in Australia," he said. Then he realized that fortuitously he was "in the right place at the right time. It was a big thrill. Everything happened," he said.