Testimonials

Dear Mr. David Retallack,

We highly appreciate the work and excellent performance that the team of FCT Combustion delivered during the production of the Pan and Para Pan American Games Ceremonies LIMA 2019.

BWS wanted to extend their gratitude for the support provided from the beginning to the end of this project. We recognize it was a complex project to execute but with FCT Combustion expertise and your staff’s knowledge we were able to give to Peru and all the Americas four memorable ceremonies.

We would happily recommend FCT Combustion as a business partner for any future projects of a similar nature and are sure that the team would deliver with the same professionalism and dedication with which they worked on this project.

We would like to say thank you and we look forward to working with FCT Combustion again in the future.

Best regards,

Gianmaria Serra

BALICH WORLDWIDE SHOWS S.R.L.

Dear David,

On behalf of Ceremonies Cariocas 2016 I wanted to thank you and your team at FCT for all the hard work, enthusiasm, commitment and dedication that has made the Olympic and Paralympic Games Rio 2016 Ceremonies such a success.

A project of this magnitude and complexity is never easy but with FCT support we delivered an extraordinary set of Ceremonies.

After previous Games stunning cauldrons it’s always a difficult challenge to creatively and technically continually improve the cauldrons but the Rio 2016 one did this in many ways and won much applause from around the world. You and your team should be very proud of your achievements.

It’s been a privileged and a pleasure to work with you all.

My deepest thanks and look forward to working with you in the future.

Kind regard,
James Lee- Technical Producer CC2016

Dear David,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the entire team from FCT Flames for all your
hard work to deliver the Stadium Cauldron and Burning Man for what were spectacular Opening and
Closing Ceremonies for 1st European Games, Baku 2015.

These shows were created through the effort and dedication of all involved. The Ceremonies have set
the benchmark for future European Games Ceremonies, and other continental games Ceremonies.
For everyone involved; performers, crew, live and broadcast audience; the result was one that all can
be proud of. The broadcast audience for the Ceremonies covered the world.

Everyone has shown great commitment to delivering these shows. The partnerships that were
created, and the close integration of each of the suppliers and elements of the technical production
were integral to the delivery of the shows. The obstacles were, at times, enormous however; by
remaining focused and committed you, and all who we worked with, achieved beyond expectations.
The shows were created in a very short time frame, were very ambitious, and both Ceremonies were
delivered flawlessly. This is a credit to the entire team.

It was a pleasure to work with you, and I look forward to being able to work with such dedicated and
professional people in the future.

Yours Sincerely,

Nick Eltis
Senior Technical Director
Baku 2015 Opening and Closing Ceremonies
5C 2015 Productions

Dear Con,

This is to thank you for FCT’s extensive contribution and effort towards the success of the Athens Olympics Opening Ceremony. It was the most technically ambitious Ceremony in history; it was watched by more people than any other, 4.5 billion, in fact. There is no doubt that it was a massive success.

FCT provided an excellent service, everything you promised was delivered when and how you told us it would be.

The Rings are an enduring and iconic image, which will be around for some time to come; they are credit to your company as was the cauldron burner system.

It was a pleasure to work with you and David particularly and I look forward to doing so again should the occasion arise.

With my best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Adam Wildi

Senior Technical Director

Opening and Closing Ceremonies for Jack Morton Public Events

Dear Con,

I would like to thank your company for its part in the design of the combustion system for the Olympic Torches for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Now that our project has reached its conclusion, I wanted to sincerely and personally thank you for your outstanding contribution to the overall success of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch Relay.

The development and production of the Olympic Torch was a major challenge for SOCOG. You and your team should be congratulated for your commitment, professionalism and success in the design of a technically superior combustion system which delivered flawlessly in 14 countries over 127 days.

The quality, performance and appearance of the Olympic Torch has been widely recognised by the Olympic Family, media (both international and national) together with millions of people across Australia and Oceania.

The specifications on performance were certainly met and exceeded, and the project was delivered on time and on budget meeting all of our needs. Your reputation as a quality designer of combustion systems committed to perfection has been clearly honored.

I commend you for your contribution and wish you and your team all the best in the future.

Your Sincerely,

Di Henry

Event Director, Torch Relay

Dear FCT Crew,

As you know the lighting of the cauldron at the Sydney Olympic Ceremonies was everything we had ever imagined. I owe you and your team a huge debt of gratitude and admiration for creating one of the great moments in Olympic history.

As you may have read, one of the safety lanterns containing the mother flame disappeared from our Ceremonies office, but of course I knew it would never be needed, as the main burner would keep going under any conditions.

Please convey my thanks to your entire team for contributing to the overwhelming success of the Opening Ceremony.

Best Regards.

Ric Birch

Directory of Ceremonies

Dear David Retallack,

Re: Torch Thankyou

On behalf of the Baku European Games Operation Committee (BEGOC) I would like to express my warmest thanks and gratitude for the role FCT Flames played in the successful delivery of ‘Journey of the Flame’ that took place over 48 days across Azerbaijan from the 26th April, 2015 to the 12th June, 2015.

The development and production of the Baku 2015 Torch provided by FCT Flames was of a very high standard and reliability, particularly when considering the incredibly tight schedule for prototyping and manufacturing you were operating to.

Special mention must be made of your experienced, hard-working staff and sub-contractors led by yourself and Simon Marschall. On a personal note I was incredibly impressed by your approach to finding suitable solutions to our creative requirements and rapidly converting this into two hundred plus Torches in such a short space of time.

It was a pleasure to work with you all and please pass my sincerest thanks to all of those in Australia involved in the Torch production, they should be very proud of the product they delivered which was a focal point of the Baku 2015 Journey of the Flame.

Yours sincerely,

Luke Mills

Senior Production Manager, Ceremonies

Baku 2015 European Games

 

Dear David,

On behalf of the Anima team can I please extend to you and the team my gratitude and thanks for delivering an excellent product and for your support during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz 2014.

In the face of high temperatures, inconsistent power delivery and variable local gas contractors they remained good humoured and professional to deliver when it counted.

The delivery and implementation of the Cauldron for the ceremonies was faultless and a huge success, bringing a highly impressive image to an audience who had never experienced such a system previously.

As well as the technical delivery I have come to expect from FCT the endless patience, good humour and willingness to help of the site team shone through as a model of professionalism and good practise. Please pass my personal thanks on to them all.

It was an interesting project and everyone took the daily challenges in their stride. Thank you and I look forward to working with you all again.

Regards

Dave Williams

Technical Director

 

Dear David,

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all your hard work to deliver the Cauldron for what were spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Inaugural Youth Olympic Games, Singapore 2010.

These shows were created through the hard work and dedication of all involved. The Ceremonies have set the benchmark for future Youth Olympic Ceremonies. For everyone involved; performers, crew, live and broadcast audience; the result was one that all can be proud of. The broadcast audience for The Ceremonies covered the world.

The Youth Olympics, and in particular the Inaugural one, is an event that all involved will remember for many years. For the athletes the Olympics are the culmination of many years of hard work; similarly for the production crew who deliver the Ceremonies, this is the culmination of your hard work. Everyone has shown great dedication and commitment to delivering these shows. The obstacles were, at times, enormous; but by remaining focused and committed you, and all who we worked with, achieved beyond expectations.

I think you understand the importance that I put on the success of the Cauldron. It was my most important element in the show. A successful and spectacular cauldron is a great statement and is the centrepiece of the Ceremonies. The Cauldron that you created with us was beautiful and a stunning conclusion to the Opening Ceremony. This unique design was implemented flawlessly by everyone at FCT.The team at FCT did everything we needed and supported our dreams for this Cauldron. It truly was beautiful (and mezmerizing) to look at and helped us to Blaze the Trail with the Youth Olympics.

It was a pleasure to work with you, and I look forward to being able to work with such dedicated and professional people in the future.

Yours Sincerely,

Nick Eltis

Technical Director,

Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games,

Opening and Closing Ceremonies

 

Dear Con,

On behalf of the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (DAGOC), the Ceremonies and Cultural Events department and the Torch Relay program, I would like to express my sincerest thanks and congratulations to you and the team at FCT Flames for the products and services provided to us.

The Asian Games Doha 2006 held in Qatar in December 2006 was the best ever Asian Games and lived up to its theme as the “Games of Your Life”. Part of the success of the Asian Games was the Torch Relay which travelled for over 55 days, visiting 15 countries and regions throughout Asia and the Middle East. The Asian Games Flame was carried by over 3,000 Torchbearers from all walks of life and was seen by many thousands of people and showcased the 15th Asian Games and the State of Qatar acros the globe.

The assistance and efforts of FCT Flames in the production of the 3,600 Torches and 5 Portable Cauldrons for the Torch Relay was critical to the success of the Torch Relay.

You effectively combined our designs with your patented burner system technology to produce a Torch that was both an image icon and one that had a highly visible, stable and safe flame, even in the vast range of environmental and operational challenges that we faced. I would also like to thank you and your team for the commitment, flexibility and creativity that you showed to make this event a success.

I wish you and your company every success in the future.

Kind Regards,

Sharif Hashisho

Director, Ceremonies and Cultural Events

Doha Asian Games Organising Committee

 

BAKU 2017 – 4th Islamic Solidarity Games

Dear David Retallack,

It is hard to believe that The Opening Ceremony for the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games here in Baku is over. I hope your team have had a chance to recover and reflect on what we achieved together.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and all at FCT Flames PTY Ltd for your commitment and hard work on this project. The work of your team was invaluable to the delivery and success of the Ceremony.
The Opening Ceremony was a huge success and the response has been entirely positive. I am extremely proud of what we achieved and it clearly would not have been possible without your team. I hope that you all enjoyed the experience.
I would like to say a huge thank you again for everything and wish you every success for the future.

Best wishes

Catherine Ugwu
Director and Executive Producer of Ceremonies

Click here to see the original letter (pdf)