Ask Patrick Sim to describe winning 2024’s ACA Chiropractor of the Year award and he will stumble for the right words. Even three days after receiving the honour at this year’s AGM in Melbourne, Patrick still says he “doesn’t know how to put it into words.”
But, ask Patrick anything about his life; as a chiropractor, the ACC President, or a father, and the right words flow freely from him. He will speak with wonderful detail as he shares how everything he does is deeply grounded in a philosophical world view. This may come as no surprise to those who know Patrick or are familiar with his work; philosophy drives all he does.
In some ways, this persistent depth of thought goes a long way to explaining his inability to summarise how winning the award felt in a few words. While he later says winning the accolade made him “pleased, happy and delighted,” Patrick also questioned why this year, of all years, did he win?
Patrick believes it ties into his work as President of the ACC, which is set to graduate its first ever cohort of students early next year. After years of hard work and dedication, he and the ACC team are finally reaping the rewards. To Patrick, there are parallels between his achievement and those of the man behind one of the greatest film trilogies of all time.
“Peter Jackson got most of those Academy Awards after Return of the King. He didn’t get it for the other movies. And it’s a little bit like that, I think. Until you produce your graduates, you actually haven’t done the job.”
The responsibility of establishing the ACC has been a collective effort, much in the same way Patrick sees the Chiropractor of the Year award as a collective, not individual, achievement.
“We couldn’t get the College off the ground if it weren’t for the support that we’ve had,” he says. “It’s cost me a lot personally, but I wouldn’t have got to this point if it weren’t for everyone.”
“It’s about a long-term view,” he says of establishing the ACC. “It’s about leverage. It’s about producing chiropractors who can go on to take positions of power and we can then get a greater sense of our identity through all aspects of chiropractic.”
Patrick graduated from Sydney’s Macquarie University with his Masters in 1997 but spent the next two years working without truly understanding what chiropractic was about.
However, a return to Adelaide saw him discover there was a great sense of alignment between the philosophy of chiropractic and his personal philosophy.
“It wasn’t about me finding chiropractic. It was just me realising this natural, holistic approach to health was the way I viewed the world,” he says.
“It doesn’t really need much help, just doesn’t need interference. So, anything we can do to reduce that interference is a good thing for the body,” he says.
Unsurprisingly, Patrick believes chiropractic is first and foremost a philosophical profession. He referred to a presentation he gave earlier this year explaining the relationship between the concept of emergence and chiropractic.
For example, some things are weakly emergent, such as waves forming at the interface of water and a less dense substance. As he explained: “you can’t tell by looking at a water molecule that when agitated these molecules produce waves.” On the other hand, things can be strongly emergent, including the universe, biology, and consciousness: things that cannot be understood in the same way waves can be. Patrick believes chiropractic is a mixture of the two.
Such depth of thought extends beyond his work into his home life, where Patrick and his wife Alexandra transfer teachings they’ve gained from chiropractic into their parenting.
Patrick has three children, Gracie, Evie and Alfie, the latter two with Alexandra. Gracie, his eldest, was adopted by Patrick and a previous partner after he was informed he could not have children.
He speaks very fondly of all his children, highlighting Gracie’s brilliance at school and Evie’s excellence in gymnastics. Patrick jokingly fears Alfie, his youngest, is a “bit too much like his dad for comfort.”
He describes home life as challenging given work has seen him miss many significant family moments and milestones, including Alfie’s first steps.
Admittedly, this isn’t Patrick’s ideal parenting style; he’d love to be more hands on and do everything all the time. But he can’t. Which explains the extreme importance of Alexandra in ensuring family life is as seamless as possible.
“I don’t know how Alexandra does what she does,” he explains. “She’s run practices, she’s run her own businesses, and then she’s raised three kids. (Her) role has been remarkable.”
Congratulations again to Patrick Sim on being named the 2024 ACA Chiropractor of the Year. His dedication to the chiropractic profession, his philosophical approach to practice, and his unwavering commitment to advancing chiropractic education have left a lasting impact. Patrick’s work as President of the ACC and his vision for the future of chiropractic reflect his passion for creating a strong foundation for the next generation of practitioners.
This well-deserved recognition is a testament to his resilience, leadership, and the collective effort of all who have supported him along the way. We celebrate Patrick’s achievements and look forward to seeing the continued influence of his work on the profession and beyond.