Community People Profiles on the Salt Spring Exchange feature local personalities on our island home. These profiles are short interviews to tell us a little about what each of these folks are thinking about as they go about their lives and work on Salt Spring Island.

Dr. Bob Richmond, affectionately known by many as Dr. Bob, is a conventional chiropractor who likes to make the profession fun and approachable. He and his wife, Mary Jane, have been living on Salt Spring Island for 4.5 years. After practicing in Vancouver and the Maritimes for over four decades, he chose to move to Salt Spring as it has a similar feel to his native New Zealand.

The sheep connection goes without saying.

"My preferred lifestyle doesn't include being stuck in gridlock on the freeway every morning, so Vancouver was no longer an option. My goals include a healthy and active longevity. I've got my eye on living to 116. So far, so good!"

As a self-declared communicator, he likes the challenge of introducing what he refers to as "The Gospel of Chiropractic" (gospel means good news, after all) of the wide-ranging benefits of chiropractic, to anyone who has health issues and possibly isn’t familiar with what chiropractic may be able to do for them.

“If I was a potential patient that’s what I’d like to know. I’d like to understand why and how and what’s the theory behind it.” He added, “Even my sheep like it when I talk to them.” Besides giving his patients relevant information and good results, he’s also committed to giving them an enjoyable, positive experience.

His passion for farming is just as evident. In fact, he skipped all other questions and went right to the last question and answered it first: If you weren’t working as a chiropractor, what would you be doing with your time?

"We bought a 3-acre property with farm status just over 2 years ago, which allows me to grow most of our own food. A healthy diet is essential for a long and active life, and gardening is something that I've always done and enjoyed. I love eating my own produce.

"I've long considered myself the earthworm's best friend, so I designed and built what I consider to be a state of the art compost complex, which works like magic. I think we should organize a compost tour on Salt Spring in the near future."

"My time is split evenly between the office and the farm, and I feel the balance is perfect for me and creates the lifestyle that I enjoy. It ties in with the way I was raised, as a Kiwi, and chiropractic sort of ties in with that, too: living naturally, eating good food, and knowing where it comes from.

"Our main product is blueberries and raspberries, but we also have strawberries, figs, apples, peaches, and pears. This year, we’ll have garlic and tomatoes, plus various other vegetables for sale, too."

What do you find most challenging about your work?

"It’s probably to get people to realize the full potential of chiropractic. The definition of total health is all systems working 100% efficiently all of the time. It has nothing to do with how you feel at one particular moment.

"Admiring a good paint job on a car doesn't tell the whole story, you need to look under the fender to see if there's any rust before you buy. Same goes for your body.

"Your spine protects the central nervous system that runs through it, and between those two systems, they control the function of your whole body. The better those two systems operate alongside each other, without distortion or interference, the more efficiently your body is able to function."