Kings celebrate health care workers

Sports is the ultimate escape. We go to games to worry about if our team can get a win, rather than worry about the things going on at work or in our personal lives. 

Kings fans get to experience the best show the NBL has to offer at Qudos Bank Arena, the game-day experience along with the players putting on a show is what makes Kings games great to attend. 

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During the pandemic, Qudos Bank Arena became a vaccination hub. To recognise the efforts of health care workers who used the Kings’ home court to vaccinate Sydney, the Kings gave 734 tickets to health care workers to celebrate their contribution to the community.

The Kings wanted to tell the story of one of these health care workers, Kings media spoke to surgical nurse and Kings superfan Roger.Roger has been attending Kings games for three years now. People may know him as the person who whacks a cowbell towards the opposition bench every game.  

“That's my two hours. I feel like a superstar,” Roger said. 

“And once it’s over, that’s it, bang. I leave, go to the car park and if we have a win, it's fantastic. If we lose, it's like 'when do the Kings play next?'. For me, it's a massive relief, massive relief. Just to get out there and have fun, you know?”

Personally and professionally, the past two years has been a major adjustment for everyone, but especially for a health care worker like Roger. 

“I've been a nurse for 25 years. And it's only been the last two years of that we've had to wear masks [outside the operation theatre],” Roger told Kings media.

“And then just this year, they've implemented the use of goggles as well. We are getting used to wearing that stuff. Like we normally wear it, you know, certain jobs, but not every single minute of our shift.” 

Medical professionals are used to wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) but not for extended periods, Roger explained. 

“It’s been hard, especially the poor nurses. I didn't have to work in the COVID wards. But the poor nurses had to wear the N95, masks broke out into rashes and allergic reactions because as I said, we weren't used to wearing them.

“There are certain procedures where you would wear full PPE, but a certain procedure could take 10-20 minutes or even an hour, but then you take it off, and you're out. But this was just, you know, your whole shift. So yeah, that was pretty tough.” 

The whole health care industry changed dramatically with COVID becoming the first priority for many patients. Not only in treating patients but testing and administering vaccinations.

“My hospital was involved heavily in vaccinations. My whole work dynamic changed, I've been at my workplace now for 22 years,” Roger said. 

“We got down to one surgical ward in the hospital, we typically have eight -- we had seven COVID wards, from the eight surgical wards. Once they got shut down [closing of elective surgery], and then they started making COVID wards, and they created more intensive wards.”

Roger explained how medical wards are similar to basketball teams. 

“It all comes down to good management on the [medical] wards. Just like you know, you get a good batch of people in a team,” he said. 

“You got a good manager on a ward, is like when you've got good basketball team players. 

“Nurses, doctors, as social workers, allied health crew, is just like if you've got good players on a basketball team, each player has their specialised position. You don't win all the time, but most of the time you work, and you get a result.”

Roger’s work life was completely changed and still hasn’t returned back to how it used to be, there are still a lot of PPE requirements and there are still less surgical suites. But when sport was affected, he was shattered. 

The Grand Finals series between the Kings and the Perth Wildcats was in March of 2020, the start of the pandemic in Australia. Roger was shocked to find out that there would be no fans. 

“When I was told there would be no fans, I said ‘are you for real?’ … So then the Kings message my wife and say ‘Look, can we borrow the cowbell?’ And my wife wrote back ‘only Rogers attached to it’. Look, I tried.”

Roger supports the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Sydney Kings, he is a diehard fan for both teams but watches the NRL on TV.

“If the Bulldogs are playing Friday night, In the middle of winter, I'm watching it at home,” he said. 

“Rugby is good for the TV, but basketball, like the atmosphere is just electric when you're there.”

As a health care worker, who has been working in a hospital during the pandemic, Roger has seen the worst of what COVID can do. He explained to Kings fans why it is important to follow COVID protocols and continue to maintain COVID-safe practices at Kings games. 

“As King fans, we need to listen to the government instructions. And if it means we have to wear a mask, wash our hands and social distance. That's what we have to do,” Roger said. 

“If we have to do that in order to get to the game, I’d wear full PPE, if that was required to go to a game. If it means we have to wear a mask, so be it. It's a little price to pay to have two hours of freedom.” 

Roger loves Kings games, the escape to watch some of the world’s best athletes and in the best arena in the NBL makes the Kings game day experience one of the best Sydney has to offer. 

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