I’m a chiropractor by trade. In 2011 I was living with my wife in Port Melbourne and had just graduated. I wanted to work relatively close to home so I was wandering the streets when I came across a clinic in Docklands with rooms. I spoke with the guy who owned it, and a week later I started practising. I can still remember my first patient. He was a vegetable farmer who was visiting Melbourne.

In those days Docklands was predominantly corporate, especially Victoria Harbour, although over the years we’ve seen greater numbers of people settling in the area.

At first it was down sizers and retirees moving into the neighbourhood, and gradually more young people looking to be closer to work. These days half the people I see on a daily basis are part of the Indian diaspora who have decided to call Docklands home and begin raising a family here. It's been really great to experience that growth in the community.

Over the years our practice has become more family-focused, reflecting the change in the area, and we’re seeing more and more kids and grandkids. Even today, there was a family that came in earlier, I used to see them walking past the clinic, then all of a sudden the baby appeared, she's now 8. The mum used to see one of my other chiropractors, and has continued using our service as a family practice.

I get to chat to people and help them at the same time. I’ll talk with my patients about their lives and what they do, because at heart what I’m impacting by treating them is their quality of life.

I've always been attracted to science and health. At first, I explored degrees in both biochemistry and medicine, but neither had the focus or outcome that I was looking for. In the end I chose to study chiropractic because I enjoy the holistic view of the body and seeing how it works as a whole.

In the years when our practice first started, we would see around 90% corporate patients and 10% local. These days it’s 100% the opposite, which is brilliant. We much prefer it that way, you are much more engaged with people. There's a real willingness for there to be a fantastic community here, and so many people doing brilliant things in Docklands, whether as individuals or part of a group, who contribute to building that sense of community every day.

I try to invite the other male health professionals in the area to get together for Men's Health Week every June. That way we can put faces to names, connect and socialise, but the overarching aim is to promote positive mental health within the local industry.

We also organise a Women's Health event at the library in September, with public talks on women’s health issues by a range of health experts. We also invite the Think Pink Foundation and Dragons Abreast Pink Phoenix dragon boat crew, as well as local gyms and wellness companies. The aim is not just to promote good health, but to create an event where different parties can raise awareness and connect with each other and the community.

We have two programs in partnership with the City of Melbourne planned for this year. One will be a series of community walks combined with Q&As with a variety of health professionals who will accompany the groups. In addition to that we're going to begin cooking classes. We’ve discovered recently that there is a real lack of understanding in some parts of the community of how to construct and cook a healthy meal, so our dietitian will run classes to give people a basic understanding of the elements of healthy eating. It will be part teaching, but just as important is the social aspect of the program , getting people together to meet around a common activity.

My favourite place to disconnect for a while is the stretch of the Yarra on the other side of ANZ. It's usually peaceful there, and you can see quite a distance down the river to the horizon as you walk along the water. I find that, psychologically, if you can see the horizon it feels like a weight is lifting off you.

I like the smaller businesses, they're the people I interact with the most and search out. Thai Thani is our favourite place to eat, and Vintam’s Cafe next door. There was a period where I’d go in there daily to pick up a banh mi. Kenny's Bakery is another one. I know the husband and wife that run it quite well, and always go over to say hi.

I think the secret of Docklands lies in its vibe. You’re in the middle of the CBD, but it's chilled out. You can walk down the street and not get jostled by a million people.

That's what I love about it. When you'e in the area, the secret is that it’s so much better than you thought it would be.

What creates that vibe is the people. It doesn't matter where you go or who you're talking to. It's the individual people, all of them are contributing every single day and making Docklands a fantastic place to work, live, and play.

The shining light also must be the people. I'm fortunate to get to meet a lot of them, and I’ve developed a great appreciation of the work they do, whether it’s the Rotary Club, the new mums’ group, the school, or the sports club. I get exposed to all of them a little bit.

It would be good to have more corporate workers come back to the area. So many of the businesses here, especially in the hospitality sector, rely on the 9-5 trade as their bread and butter. Having a good day trade to support them means they will be more likely to open in the evenings. Then you’d see a more vibrant Docklands, which will be great for both locals and visitors.

I would love to see the wayfinding in Docklands improved. It can be easy for people who don’t know the area to get lost, sometimes visitors can’t tell whether they’re in West Melbourne, the CBD, or Port Melbourne. Having Docklands marked as a distinct area, with each part of the precinct colour-coded and things like points of interest and walking trails highlighted, would really help tourists to find their way around.

More attention needs to be paid to the needs of families raising kids in the precinct, too, As the current generation of children going to Docklands Primary School gets older, and little brothers and sisters come along, there will need to be a greater variety of services and facilities around to cater for the growing population.