[1] Holmes was also acknowledged for his recovery in July 2007 of artefacts from the Burke and Wills expedition, which he donated to the State Library of Victoria.

[3][4] Following his retirement as Surveyor General, Holmes worked as a consultant to both the World Bank and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as an expert adviser on land administration.

His childhood was spent on the family's farm, which gave him a good foundation for his future work, particularly at the State Rivers and Water Commission of Victoria (SR&WSC).

From 1946 onwards he worked at a number of SR&WSC offices, including in the Western District, Mildura, the Bellarine Peninsula and Heyfield.

In 1964, he was transferred to the newly created role of Superintending Surveyor at SR&WSC Head Office in Melbourne, where his duties included responsibility for the operation of the entire Hydrographic Survey Section.

They were tasked with assisting the Ethiopian Government in the development of a new irrigation areas and with improving the existing systems in the Awash Valley.

In addition to organising the survey of 160,000 acres (64,000 hectares) of farmlands, he also reviewed the existing irrigation network and the associated hydrographic infrastructure and made recommendations for its improvement.

[9] Holmes also carried out leadership roles particularly in the Victorian Division of the Institution of Surveyors Australia (ISA) of which he was a foundation member.

In 1992, he led an overseas delegation representing the ISA, which resulted in Melbourne winning the right to host the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) World Congress in 1994.

[11][12] In 2007 and 2008, Holmes led expeditions that located Plant Camp, where explorers Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills buried their navigational equipment and other possessions on 3 April 1861, just days before heading south in a doomed attempt to find their support party.

[13][14][15] Since retiring from full-time employment, Holmes worked as a consultant to both the World Bank and FAO as an expert adviser on land administration.