Each November, hundreds of industry colleagues, clients and friends gather in one room. There’s laughter, colour and the buzz of the Cup itself, but beneath the fun runs something deeper: a shared belief that together, we can make a real difference.

That belief has grown into one of FDC’s proudest traditions. Over nearly two decades, the Melbourne Cup Charity Luncheon has become more than an event, it’s a reminder of what generosity can do when it’s fuelled by connection and purpose.

Sixty-five critically ill children will have their wishes granted through Make-A-Wish Australia. Hundreds of families will spend precious nights together at Ronald McDonald House Westmead, close to their children’s hospital beds. And a pioneering Butterfly Foundation program will continue to shape national education policy around eating disorders, thanks to research it gathered through FDC’s support. These are just some of the quiet outcomes of a single day each year, the FDC Melbourne Cup Charity Luncheon.

In 2025, the luncheon raised a record $650,000 for Make-A-Wish Australia. “That’s 65 critically ill children whose lives will be touched by something joyful and unforgettable,” says FDC Group Director Con Hart. “We told Make-A-Wish we’d aim for $350,000, a historically achievable target for us. On the day (and the week afterwards) it kept rising and rising, to the eventual tally of $650,000. When we told them the amount, the charity team were gobsmacked. Their jaws were on the table.”

A Beginning Built on Purpose

The luncheon’s origins stretch back to the late 1990s, when FDC took over the sponsorship of a Melbourne Cup charity event run by an industry association. Within a few years, FDC saw the opportunity to create something more transparent and personal; an event where every single dollar raised would go straight to the chosen cause.

That decision became the foundation of what the event has become today. Their first independently run Melbourne Cup luncheon raised $7,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. “We were proud of that,” says Con. “It wasn’t about the amount, it was about doing it properly and making sure it all went where it should.”

With around 700 guests filling the Fullerton Hotel on the first Tuesday of November, the event is sold out in a couple of days. “Within 48 hours the tickets are gone,” says Con. “We’ve got a recurring attendee list that’s well over 90 per cent. People love it. They know it’s genuine, they know what it stands for and they’re proud to be part of it.”

Authentic Generosity

One of the day’s defining moments is the Calcutta, a Melbourne Cup tradition where attendees bid for racehorses, with placegetter prize pools reaching tens of thousands of dollars. Yet every year, those who win choose to give it all back.

“This year, the first prize was about $96,000,” says Con. “Every year I go around to congratulate the winners,” Con says. “And with only one exception in 19 years, they’ve looked at me, smiled, shaken my hand and said, ‘Of course it all goes back.’ They could keep it, but they don’t. That’s the culture now, the generosity is instinctive. They’re not just giving money. They come to make a difference and to feel part of something that matters.”

That generosity, he explains, has created an almost self-sustaining community of goodwill. “There’s almost a spirit of friendly competition to do a little bit better each year,” says Con. “More support, more sponsorships, more things to auction. Everyone wants to push the total a little higher and they do.”

It's Giving, Made Personal

Many of the charities FDC has supported over the years have been chosen for deeply personal reasons. The causes are never abstract or distant, they’re connected to the people who make up the business and to the challenges and experiences shared across its community. From mental health and youth support to family wellbeing and medical research, each organisation reflects a cause that resonates within FDC.

That ethos has translated into real, measurable outcomes over the years. When Ronald McDonald House was chosen to be the beneficiary in 2022, after FDC built the new accommodation facilities at the Westmead campus, the luncheon raised $433,000, which provided 2,718 nights of accommodation for families staying close to their children in hospital.

The following year, in support of the Black Dog Institute, more than $410,000 went directly to Australia’s largest mental health study of its kind, the Future Proofing Project, helping researchers follow over 6,000 students across 130 schools to better understand teenage wellbeing and early intervention.

In 2024, in recognition of a beloved colleague lost to bowel cancer at just 41 the luncheon raised $450,000 for Bowel Cancer Australia, contributing to the development of GP education modules, early-onset cancer research and the placement of specialist bowel cancer nurses in regional areas.

And several years earlier, funding for the Butterfly Foundation helped launch a two-year national research project, the first of its kind in Australia, that united students, parents and teachers to improve prevention and recovery from eating disorders. “It gave them the evidenced-based data they needed to secure government funding,” says Con. “It turned a small research project into something that’s now informing policy and practice across the country.”

That empathy, choosing causes not by profile, but by personal connection and measurable impact, has shaped nearly two decades of giving. From research and education to accommodation and care, each initiative has created something lasting, strengthening the bond between FDC and the communities it serves. It also gives tangible meaning to FDC’s guiding phrase, Made Personal. “We talk about ‘Made Personal’ a lot,” says Con. “And this is where it really shows. These aren’t abstract causes. They’re part of who we are.”

The Heart of a Family Business

For Con, the luncheon is simply an extension of the company’s culture; one whose collective philanthropic events have raised nearly $15 million for various causes. “From its early roots, FDC has always been family-based,” he says. “Financial results are important, but they’re not the driving force. It’s about doing good work, looking after people and contributing to the community we’re part of.”

That same spirit shapes how the luncheon is run — with care, commitment and the same attention to detail that FDC brings to every project. “It’s a remarkably polished grassroots event,” Con laughs. “By that I mean we're not paying external management companies or consultants, nor extravagant on-costs that dilute the bottom line. Our in-house team makes it look and feel beautiful and we’re really proud of the fact that this is a totally in-house event.” And though the event typically comes together each year looking polished and professional, it’s the emotion in the room and the stories shared by charity representatives and recipients that leave the deepest impression.

“You look around and there often isn’t a dry eye in the place,” says Con. “When you see that, you see the best in people. To me, that just shows how the best in humans can come out when we’re all collectively trying to do good.

“I keep referring to this event not as an FDC event, but as “FDC and Friends”. I’ve said that every year for 19 years, because while we may drive it, it’s our friends in the room who help us produce this phenomenal result. It’s us as a business, but it’s also hundreds of people, all wanting to do something positive. That humility, that shared purpose, that’s the heart of it all.”

Celebrating 35 Years + Counting