'A moment I will never forget': What it's like reporting from Ukraine

I don't have that job. I never have.

And so it was on February the 25th I was asked to go to London the next day after concerns about the Queen's health.

As the days passed it was clear the Queen had bounced back from COVID.

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What caught the world by surprise was the sudden death of Warnie — as my colleague Chris O'Keefe perfectly put it, "the day the world stopped spinning".

After covering the world reaction to his death I was dispatched to Ukraine to cover the invasion for 60 Minutes.

I'd seen the pictures of Ukrainian women and children fleeing the country into Poland.

But standing there at the border checkpoint watching thousands stream past was a moment I will never forget.

Mothers and children holding babies and their pets.

Bombed-out buildings and missile launches are the currency of TV news but they pale in comparison to the misery and heartache being inflicted on ordinary Ukrainians.

We made it easily into the western city of Lviv, a safe haven that wasn't threatened by Russian troops.

Here locals were boarding up the churches and statues should the unthinkable happen.

After days of negotiations, we met the organisers of a secret training camp for foreigners wishing to join the fight against Russia.

We needed to make our way closer to the frontline where these men would join Ukrainian soldiers.

The closer we got to the capital Kyiv we could see the military build-up, convoys of trucks carrying supplies for troops.

In the car for the 10-hour drive, cameraman Greg Martini, our driver and security advisor John Herron.

Lviv local Oleg acted as our translator, smoothing our way through the countless sandbagged checkpoints.

We found a deserted city. The only sign of life on the proud boulevards were Ukrainian soldiers.

They were on edge, double checking our credentials on the lookout for Russian saboteurs.

Within minutes of entering the city we heard a cruise missile had struck a residential area 20 minutes away.

As we neared we could see crowds gathering around three large apartment blocks.

We broke through and saw the crater where the missile had detonated.

I lost count of the number of apartments that had been destroyed.

Four people had been killed instantly.

That was a miracle given the damage.

We filmed a sequence for 60 Minutes where I tried to convey the impact and danger civilians and foreign fighters were facing.

After filing several stories for the 6pm News, we were on the road again for 60 Minutes, this time heading for Poland.

We reached the Ukrainian border and were again confronted by the continuous stream of civilians carrying all they could.

At that point four million had fled the Russian invasion.

In Warsaw I teamed up with cameraman Scott Morelli, soundman Johan Zwart and field producer Nat Clancy.

Our mission was coordinated by chief producer Laura Sparkes.

With missiles falling just 10 kilometres from the Polish border, it was a country on edge.

After days of negotiations with the Polish military, Laura obtained access to a full-on training exercise with US troops.

It simulated a Russian attack across a river with tanks and amphibious troop carriers.

The air was thick with smoke and the sound of gunfire was deafening.

The General in charge was clear: Poland was not only worried but it had to prepare for the worst.

Being in a war zone is most people's idea of hell. Not for me, and that's not some foolish bravado.

It was an experience I will relish, an opportunity to give Australians a better idea of what is happening in Eastern Europe.

Not 9 to 5, and I wouldn't have it any other way.