‘Wake up’: NRL star takes aim over segregation comparison

Rugby league great Johnathan Thurston has taken aim at those comparing Queensland’s Covid-19 vaccination mandate to racial segregation, telling protesters to ‘wake up’. He says it’s vital to ‘debunk the myths’ circulating on social media.

Rugby league legend Johnathan Thurston has expressed his views on comparisons made between the Queensland Government’s mandate restrictions and segregation. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Australia knows him for his sporting legacy and for being a loveable larrikin with an infectious laugh.

But when it comes to the upcoming mandate on December 17 and some of the comparisons those against it have made to segregation, it’s no laughing matter.

When Johnathan Thurston visited Toowoomba this week, The Chronicle spoke with him about his views on the mandate and Covid vaccine.

Born to a mother from Southwest Queensland, the proud Indigenous man said those in their fight against the Queensland Government’s mandate shouldn’t use the loaded term of segregation, which has been used to describe the historical oppression against people of colour.

“It’s not racial segregation – racial segregation is totally different,” Thurston said.

“Racial segregation? C’mon, please, wake up to yourselves.”

And with health authorities struggling to boost vaccination rates in Indigenous communities, Thurston has joined the fight to ensure the public has accessed all the facts before making their decision.

The closest large Indigenous community to the Toowoomba region is Cherbourg. and its vaccination rate is still sitting below halfway, with just over 40% of the population fully vaccinated.

In a bid to provide the public with all the facts, Thurston also opened up about the recent tour he made to Cape York and Central Queensland communities with the Johnathan Thurston Academy team and in partnership with Queensland Health.

“There’s a lot of stuff getting around on social media that is making people a little bit wary of vaccinations, so I wanted to inform those communities and give them the information so then they can make a decision about getting their family and themselves vaccinated,” Thurston said.

“I just wanted to inform people on the facts, the science behind it all and then that community can make an informed decision about getting vaccinations.

“Our (Indigenous) culture is some of the most underprivileged people in society and we’re dying at a much earlier rate than the rest of the globe.”

Visiting Aurukun, Hope Vale, Woorabinda, Yarrabah and Bamaga, Thurston has run community programs and presented question-and-answer sessions with a qualified doctor who specialises in virology and a nurse who contracted Covid-19 herself.

“(The nurse) was in London when Covid broke, her doctor died three days after catching Covid and she’s fully vaccinated now, but still struggles from the symptoms,” he said.

“She said her lungs feel like she’s been a smoker all her life, when she’s never touched a smoke in her entire life.”

Thurston said while he understood the public might have different views, it was important to share the facts with Indigenous communities and “debunk some of the myths” being shared on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

The former Cowboys captain said when he decided to get himself and his entire family fully-vaccinated, he asked his doctor to explain the risks to him in “rugby league terms”.

“The doctor said if I get Covid, the worst that is going to happen – if I die or end up in the ICU, that would be 100, but if I get vaccinated, then chances of being 100 are very slim, and I might only get 10 or 15% of those symptoms, so that was good enough for me to vaccinate my family,” he said.

“ (Covid) can be damaging, it can be fatal, and we’ve already seen that in some of our communities in Western NSW.”

Thurston said it was especially important to do what we could to protect others with serious medical conditions, who might not be able to get vaccinated themselves.

He recommended the public consult a medical professional about their concerns, rather than base their decision on social media.

Originally published as ‘Wake up’: NRL star takes aim over segregation comparison