Beautiful interpretation of our 40-year journey

Flight Centre 40 Years Artwork White 2.jpg

When our parent company, Fight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) wanted a fitting artistic tribute to represent the company’s 40 year story, we turned to the oldest storytelling culture on earth. Drawing on Australia’s indigenous heritage, the FCTG commissioned a painting by Judi Sutton, a proud Kalkadoon woman (of the Mount Isa Region). Judi’s brief was to use traditional storytelling and symbolism to create an artwork reflecting our company values, mission and history – while also representing the FCTG’s proud connection with Australia and our journey towards reconciliation.

The result, is a remarkable nine-panel (60cm wide, 60cm high), acrylic painting on canvas. The painting was presented to FCTG employees and suppliers at the Global Gathering 2022, in Las Vegas, USA this month. One panel will now be gifted to each of the nine countries where we have company-owned operations including – Australia, New Zealand, UK, America, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, UAE and India.

In explaining her painting, Judi said, “FCTG’s mission is, ‘to open up the world for those who want to see’ and this is represented through the mountains, waterholes, and feathers as FCTG provides travel experiences across land (mountains), air (feather) and sea (waterholes), around the world.”

Other key symbols incorporated into the artwork by the artist, include:

The boomerang, representing our growth and also returning business and customers.
The footprints represent our company journey, growing and evolving with constantly changing times.
The rainbow serpent flows through each panel, the tail begins in the centre of Australia’s FCTG community symbol, as this is our global home base.
The three stars represent our company values – Egalitarianism, Ownership and Irreverence
The smaller white community symbols, connected by travelling lines, represent all of the places that FCTG customers travel to.
The handprints symbolise the support that FCTG employees give to their loyal customers and communities.
The large red and white community symbol represents FCTG and there is one in every panel.