Breaking Dawn: Natalie Barr discovers her 1987 Channel Seven rejection letter

She may be the host of Australia’s most popular breakfast show, but during the early days of her career, Natalie Barr was struggling to get her foot in the door of Channel Seven.

The 54-year-old was cleaning her childhood home in Bunbury, WA, when she discovered a rejection letter from Seven’s Perth office, dated June 1987.

Her mother, Julie, had kept the letter, which Natalie received at age 19, as a reminder of how far her daughter had come in her journalism career.

Natalie had applied for an entry-level position at the Perth newsroom, but was told there were no “suitable positions” for her.

However, the HR manager assured the young reporter that they would keep her details ‘on file’ for future vacancies.

“Keep trying kids, that’s the lesson here,” said Natalie, who is now one of Seven’s most prominent presenters.

She revealed that there were a plethora of similar rejection letters, but that didn’t stop her determination to succeed in the industry.

“Basically every television network, radio station and newspaper across the state turned me down,” he said.

Her expression of interest was one of many she sent to the media, including ABC and the Sunday Times, when she was a budding reporter.

He found the letter during a visit to his hometown, which coincided with a week-long series of segments promoting Western Australia.

During their search, Natalie and her mother also discovered family photos and school reports.

Natalie became a co-host of Sunrise in March 2021 after Samantha Armytage stepped down from the role.

She had previously been the long-time newsreader for the show.