Keeping Docklanders healthy for 10 years

Docklands Health will be celebrated for a decade of service to the community next month in a ceremony with Lord Mayor Sally Capp.

The Lord Mayor’s Commendations will recognise 50 of Melbourne’s oldest and most-loved small businesses for their ongoing commitment and service to locals.

For Docklands Health owner and local stalwart, Mike Edgley, this comes as acknowledgement for 10 years of persistence in building a more liveable Docklands.

“It is great to have the recognition, not just for us, but for the others that have come before us, who put the effort in to create and grow a Docklands community,” Mr Edgley.

“It is the main act of being recognised for our contribution to the community more so than running a business. That is where the real appreciation comes from.”

According to My Edgley, when he first started on Batman’s Hill 10 years ago, Docklands was a shadow of what we see and enjoy now.

There was no Collins Square, no NAB or Medibank buildings, and certainly no Wheel.

Docklands Health was just a team of two, with working quarters consisting of two-and-a-half rooms, working two days a week.

Now, Docklands Health has grown to a 13-strong team working across six separate rooms and a gym area.

This evolution, Mr Edgley said, was indicative of the growing and thriving community in Docklands.

“To see Docklands, change from 2011 to 2021, has been amazing. If it [Docklands] hadn’t grown over the first eight years of that, it wouldn’t have survived the pandemic,” Mr Edgley said.

“Pre-pandemic, our client base was 80 per cent corporate and 20 per cent locals. Now those numbers have completely reversed.”

“It has driven an unexpected social benefit with our community. We became a hub of interaction, sometimes being the only people locals would see outside of their own homes.”

In a suburb often maligned, Docklands Health has been a beacon of hope and consistency and has been rightfully honoured by the Lord Mayor Sally Capp.

The Lord Mayor’s Commendations have been celebrating small businesses and their stories since 2005.

“It’s never been more important to honour small businesses and highlight how much they mean to our city,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Melbourne’s small businesses have endured the toughest trading conditions in decades, and we want to recognise and support them as the city recovers.”

“Whether it’s a butcher or a book store, small businesses are the lifeblood of our city. These awards recognise and celebrate businesses that have stood the test of time.” 

“Anyone who has run a small business knows it’s a tough role, so it’s important we congratulate and honour the commitment of some of our longest-serving proprietors.”

The commendations program shines a spotlight on small-business owners who have serviced the city for 10 or more years.

More than 620 small businesses have received commendations since the program began in 2005.

Without COVID-induced interruptions, Lord Mayor Sally Capp will present the Commendations to Mr Edgley and the remainder of this year’s recipients during a ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall on Thursday, August 12.

In continuing his team’s commitment to the community, Mr Edgley and Docklands Health will be running several community events during the next few months.

In September, they will run a public event at Library at the Dock for Women’s Health Week, which will include talks from a physiotherapist, gynaecologist, a GP, and professor of medicine from the University of Melbourne.

“In terms of Docklands Health itself, we have new initiatives like kinesiology and raki starting in August, as well as Bowen Therapy,” Mr Edgley said.

“We just want to continue growing and servicing Docklands.” •

For more information: docklandshealth.com.au