Fernandes worked first in a warehouse, followed by a bank, the
civil service, and then as an acting juvenile
probation officer. After lying about his age, claiming to be 22, Fernandes was hired as a
sports journalist at the
Daily Nation and
Sunday Nation when he was 17, which were part of
Aga Khan IV's newspaper empire. Fernandes' career was influenced there by the Goan editor of the
Daily Nation, Joe Rodrigues. He became a political and investigative journalist in the early 1960s, and got to know many future leaders well. Fernandes obtained one of the earliest interviews with
Idi Amin, who was responsible for the
expulsion of Asians from Uganda,), in the 1980s. and was held senior positions on this newspaper and later
The Australian. He was editor of the
St George and Sutherland Shire Leader for 10 years, and was known as "Skip". At the time, regional newspapers were flourishing, and he had 20 journalists available. The
Leader won Newspaper of the Year during this time, after he had introduced colour to the layouts. After leaving the paper, he took up a job in communications role with
Caltex oil refinery in
Kurnell, and during this time also edited the newspaper
The Indian Down Under for 10 years. ==After retirement==