Michael Holmes (73-77)

Michael Holmes has fond and enduring memories of Wesley, recalling that he was one of the pioneering students of the innovative Current Affairs and Media Studies courses — the first of their kind to be run at the College. It was these subjects which set him on a path to a successful career in international journalism spanning nearly five decades.

He started his career in Perth in 1978 as a Cadet Reporter at the Daily News, which was then the city’s afternoon newspaper, before moving to television for the Nine Network six years later. Michael then spent four years in London from 1988 to 1991, initially freelancing for British media and then as the Nine Network’s European Correspondent for Current Affairs.

Michael spent 28 years with CNN, joining in 1996 as the first Australian anchor for the network. His work as an anchor saw him interview prime ministers and presidents of several nations, and report in the field on countless breaking news stories from all four corners of the globe. He is a proud Australian expat who was based at CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta, when not deployed on assignments.

Michael covered every major global conflict in recent history, reporting on-ground in warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, West Bank, Gaza, Ukraine and more. He covered the Iraq War from its start in 2003 through to 2016, completing a total of 17 tours of duty in the war-torn nation and earning multiple awards for his reporting, including two Peabody Awards. Michael has travelled to more than 85 countries in the course of his work, reporting on everything from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Rwandan Genocide.

In January 2004, in the early days of the Iraq War, Michael survived an insurgent ambush on a two-vehicle convoy which left two fellow CNN colleagues dead and one wounded. Michael built a career on putting himself in risky, often life-threatening, or traumatic situations, in order to bear witness to and reveal the hardships and suffering of others to the world.

He also covered numerous natural disasters including Hurricanes Sandy, Michael, Irma, and Maria, earning an Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the latter two. He has reported on incidents that shook the globe, including terrorist attacks on Paris and Brussels.

In December 2023, Michael received an Emmy in the News and Documentary category for his work reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with prestigious RTS and AIB awards.