Ricky Stuart made Member of the Order of Australia in Queen's Birthday Honours

While St Benedict's was where Ricky Stuart's rugby league journey began, it's since travelled around the world before coming back to Canberra.

And as the Raiders coach, the journey's far from finished.

Equally so for the more important part of this yarn. And Stuart's legacy - not just for him, but his family - wife Kaylie, sons Jackson and Jedward, and daughter Emma - and the Canberra community.

The Ricky Stuart Foundation is making a massive difference in the ACT, with a block of land already sorted for his next project.

With two respite houses already up and running, the focus is now on providing homes for adults with disabilities. Similar to what Koomarri have provided for his daughter Emma.

Which is why we're celebrating Stuart's achievements on the Queen's birthday.

He's been made a Member of the Order of Australia. Or AM for short.

It's not just for all the honours from his rugby league career. Premierships as a player and a coach. Playing and coaching NSW in State of Origin. Representing Australia as a player and a coach.

But it's for that charity work as well. Helping people's lives. None of which would have been possible without his efforts on the rugby league field.

"I'm very, very humbled by it and proud. I don't have my foundation and do these things for any recognition outside doing a good job," Stuart said.

"It's been a marvellous surprise, but more importantly it's something I'm so humbled by.

"I'm not one for self-accolade. I don't do what I do for anything but making a difference.

"And I think the foundation, as small as it is, is making a huge difference to a number of people and that's the award I want. That's the reward we're all after.

"There are many people who have contributed to the foundation, many people who have contributed to my career as a player and a coach, too many to name, but they deserve great recognition as well."

Stuart came from a rugby league family. His father played. His uncles played. His cousins. And Stuart did, too, as a four-year-old at St Benedict's.

He's been part of the rugby league family ever since - apart from a brief St Edmund's-enforced stint in rugby union that led to a Wallabies tour of Argentina in 1987.

But he came back to rugby league. And he came back to Canberra when Manly and Balmain came knocking, making his Raiders debut in 1988.

A year later he was a premiership-winning halfback. The Raiders' first. A year after that he'd gone back-to-back. And in '94 he'd added a third.

During that time he played nine Tests for Australia. Fourteen Origins for the Blues.

He always wanted to be a coach, where an NRL premiership with the Sydney Roosters was added in 2002 to 14 Tests in charge of the Kangaroos and nine Origins with the Blues.

Now he's searching for that elusive second premiership with his beloved Raiders.

"There's been more lows than highs and when you've been in the game for so long there's always going to be," Stuart said.

"But for me the high that can never be taken away is the friendships you make, because that's going to last a lot longer than my rugby league career.

"Just being at Bob Fulton's funeral last week you could see what can be generated through many years in the game and being loyal to your mates."

When Emma was diagnosed with autism when she was 11, it gave birth to the Ricky Stuart Foundation. He's been able to use his public profile as an athlete to help others.

That help is continuing to this day.

The foundation already has the Ricky Stuart and Emma Ruby houses - providing much-needed respite facilities for families of children with a disability.

Since bringing on chief executive Miranda Garnett, Stuart said the number of people they've been able to help has gone to another level.

Now Stuart wants to go to another level again.

The next step was housing for adults with a disability. Similar to where Emma lives now, fittingly not far from St Benedict's. She has round-the-clock carers. Something Stuart wants to help others achieve.

"We have a block of land that we're looking to build upon and that's going to be like what Emma's living in," he said.

"It will be independent living for disabled adults."

RICKY STUART (AM) ACHIEVEMENTS

RUGBY LEAGUE

RUGBY UNION

CHARITY WORK

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