On Saturday, January 15, 1966, The Fiji Times published an article about two Fijian boys who were to go to Geelong Grammar School in Victoria to attend school.

Apart from having to leave Fiji for Australia to study, these boys would be attending school with the heir apparent to the British throne, Prince Charles.

Prince Charles, according to the report, was to attend Geelong Grammar School in February to May of 1966.

The two boys were 15-year-old Tevita Salato, elder son of Dr and Mrs Macu Salato, and 15-year-old Filimoni Mate, eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel George Mate and Mrs Mate.

Arrangements for the two boys to go to Geelong had been made by the Anglican Church in Australia.

According to the report, the boys were to leave at the end of January and would be at Timbertop, the rural branch of the school, which was about 120 miles North of Melbourne, during the time that Prince Charles was there.

The announcement that Prince Charles was to spend a term at Geelong with Australian school boys was made from Buckingham Palace in November 1965.

In Britain, Prince Charles was a student at Gordonstoun, his father’s old school in Scotland.

News that Tevita and Filimoni were to go to Geelong was disclosed on January 14 by The Archdeacon of Polynesia (The Venerable C. W. Whonsbon-Aston).

Tevita was a student at Queen Victoria School and Filimoni was at Ratu Sukuna Memorial School. The boys were old friends. Both attended Holy Trinity School in Suva and Draiba Fijian School. Tevita went to Queen Victoria School.

His main sporting interest was rugby. Filimoni went to Ratu Sukuna. He was also a key rugby player.

Dr Salato said they learned on January 13 of the arrangements made for Tevita to go to Geelong and the whole family was delighted.

“My wife was speechless when I broke the news to her yesterday (January 13),” Lieutenant-Colonel Mate said.

“I am proud and above all grateful to the Anglican Church for making this opportunity available to my son.”

According to another article published on the same day, Prince Charles was to fly from London to Sydney as an ordinary first class passenger.

He was to share the first class cabin of a Qantas jet with other passengers. By request, no special arrangements had been made.

The Equerry of the Duke of Edinburgh (Squadron leader, David Checketts) and an Australian police inspector, Inspector D N Sharp of Canberra, were to accompany Prince Charles on his flight.

Prince Charles flight was to leave London on January 28, 1966 via New York and San Francisco and was due in Sydney on January 30 at 7am.

Prince Charles was to spend three days at Government House, Canberra before he started his term at Geelong Grammar School’s Timbertop on February 3.