Pirtek gets the Royal Treatment

Pirtek C.E.O Glenn Duncan was given the royal treatment when he joined an elite group of NRL sponsors who were invited to meet Prince Charles at a private funtion in Sydney.

"I was pleasantly surprised by how personable Prince Charles was," Duncan said. "He appeared to be very open and honest and certainly made all of us feel very welcome."

Prince Charles heard first hand from students who have successfully completed the Learn Earn Legend school-to-work program.

Duncan was particularly moved after hearing about the positive impact the program is having. "It's certainly life changing for those involved. One young girl is well on her way to realising her dream of becoming a primary school teacher," he said. "Before she completed the program, she was unable to gain entry into university. Now she is preparing for her first day on campus with all the confidence in the world and is well on her way to achieveing her goal."

Prince Charles was so impressed with the students and the results the program is having that he took time out to thank Duncan and the other sponsors, reinforcing the importance of corporate responsibility. He highlighted how vital it is for companies like Pirtek to commit to community projects. "He told us twenty years ago, these types of initiatives were non-existent."

Duncan added, "Prince Charles couldn't stress how important it is to help kids to develop life skills to keep the cycle going."

After the intimate encounter Prince Charles ventured out onto iconic Bondi Beach to watch a game of touch football. A few indigenous all-stars were running a mentoring session with some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school children.

Parramatta's Willie Tonga got the chance to show Prince Charles a few moves along with fellow all-stars Greg Inglis, Brad Tighe and Greg Bird. Tonga said, "It was a fantastic opportunity. I was proud to be a part of the day and to represent the Eels."

Tonga said he had a good chat to some of the students and came away feeling really excited for them. "It's good to know many of them are destined for a bright future."