She describes herself as “the proudest nanny going around”.
And it’s not just because Maree Stuart is the grandmother of the footballer many consider the best on the planet.
“I’m so proud of what Nathan has been able to accomplish in his football career, but I’m most proud of the beautiful young man he has become,” Stuart said of grandson Nathan Cleary.
Cleary’s footballing pedigree is well documented. There’s father Ivan, a former footballer and four-time premiership-winning Panthers coach. Grandfather John Stuart also made his mark in first grade, as did uncles Josh Stuart and Jason Death. Even Nathan’s brother Jett is on the cusp of an NRL debut.
While all have contributed to the person Cleary has become, special mention is made of his grandmother.
“Oh, absolutely, yeah, for sure,” Nathan said. “I’ve got nothing but love for her, and she’s probably had a bit of a rough run this year – she’s been in and out of hospital and all that.
“Still, she epitomises resilience. And she’s got this stubbornness about her as well that she just doesn’t want to let anything keep her down. I think a lot of [my resilience] actually comes from Dad, but also comes from Mum’s side as well through my Nan.”
To understand why, you have to consider Maree’s extraordinary journey to Australia.
“I was born in a concentration camp in Germany in 1946,” Maree explained.
“I was three years old when we came to Australia. We landed in Melbourne and then moved to Kings Cross. We then moved to Bass Hill where I went to school and lived most of my childhood.
“My parents socialised with the Ukrainian community as they could not speak English very well. I learnt how to speak English at school. When I was growing up I tried really hard to fit into the Australian way, so I didn’t ask my parents much about my Ukrainian heritage, which I regret – but my parents never wanted to speak about it.”
Maree has also opted not to talk about her past for much of her life. But with her grandchildren keen to learn more about their heritage, it’s a subject she has broached in more detail recently.
Jett described representing Ukraine in two season-ending European Championship Test wins, against Italy and Greece, as a career highlight. And when the Panthers held a cultural day, Maree baked a classic Ukrainian dish for Nathan to bring.
“I have no secret recipe, but my mum used to make deruny pancakes for the family when we would visit her,” she said. “It’s a classic Ukrainian comfort food.”
Cleary can’t speak Ukrainian – “that’s something that we need to explore more” – but was intrigued to hear that this year’s opening State of Origin game was beamed live into the country. It even came with Ukrainian commentary, albeit in a delivery style more understated than that of legendary caller Ray Warren.
“Really? Oh wow,” Cleary said. “That’d be good to hear! I’d like to hear that, that’d be cool.”
It’s all part of Cleary taking more of an interest in where he came from, coupled with a desire to grow the game of rugby league in Ukraine.
“Yeah, absolutely. And I think their appreciation will probably only grow the more that we can expose it and show that we’re proud to have that Ukrainian heritage as well,” he said.
“It’s cool that a few members of the family have represented Ukraine now, and I think they’ve got a good appreciation for it. But we can do our job to spread the word, too.”
Cleary isn’t the only NSW star with Ukrainian heritage. The grandmother of Blues back-rower Hudson Young was one of more than 100,000 migrants that arrived in Australia to live at the Greta migrant camp in the Hunter Valley.
“The resilience side of things in rugby league is what you need to play at the highest level, and Nan and Pop showed me the way from a young age,” Young said.
Told that Cleary spoke in similarly reverential tones about her, Nana Stuart said: “I’m glad I have been able to have such a positive impact on Nat’s life. It is flattering, but I can’t take credit for the work that he puts into his game.”
