Sometimes my job takes me all over the world and this was truly the case this month as I
headed to Australia for the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) Congress and
Conference. My colleague Catherine and I represent the British Chiropractic Association
(BCA) at this world level – which feels nothing short of working at the United Nations!
The WFC is represented by 96 countries and in Britain we are the fourth largest country for
chiropractors in the world. This makes working at this level for the BCA an important
mission where we share our experiences of British chiropractic lessons while opening our
ears to learn from the rest of the world.
I was asked to speak on a panel alongside the representatives from South Africa, Australia
and Uganda. Our topic was all about recruitment and retention of members of our
respective associations, a topic that I thoroughly enjoy.
It was great fun to demonstrate all the hard work and strategy behind the vision and
mission that we have in the UK, while learning a few tips from around the world. Catherine
was next with our country report which, as ever, she did a fabulous job with. It’s a strange
experience to have representatives from many countries, from all over the globe, listening
to you then coming up and asking all about what we do and how we do it.
I must have given out our details to 20 different countries with promises to catch up and
share information. We heard stories of our profession thriving in the world – like in Canada,
the US and Australia – but also examples of chiropractors being persecuted and threatened
just for trying to do their job.
Many, many countries are striving for the regulation, education and authority that we have
and take for granted in the UK. There are so many questions about how to manage their
governments, health departments and local laws.
From a personal point of view, I have felt extremely privileged to work in Australia, so far
and so different from my day-to-day clinical work. I massively believe that life is to be lived
to its fullest and, from my earliest days, I have always volunteered for things and said yes to
adventures that sometimes felt frightening.
This fabulous trip is the culmination of saying yes and being as positive as I can be when
dealing with the opportunities that life continually throws at you. If by pure chance a young
person is reading this blog please remember to say yes to opportunity and you will be
rewarded one way or another.
Speaking of rewarding, the other bonus of this trip was to be able to go whale watching,
hold a Koala, see kangaroos and have a surf lesson between lectures at the conference –
only in Australia! I even managed to squeeze in a few days with my uncle and auntie who
live just down the road and took me sightseeing.
So, as we pack on our last day in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, I am looking forward so
much to getting home and seeing my wife and the kids who I have missed so much. I hope
they like multiple Australian soft toys that I have bought them. Who knew they did prawn
and even spider teddies?
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
