Raised on the family property 'The Brae', Ray left home at nineteen and worked throughout Queensland doing various jobs such as shearer, breaker, fencer, drover, truck driver, sapphire miner, and butcher. Rose's poems have been recorded as songs by Slim Dusty, Tom Maxwell, Brian Letton, Reg Poole, Dean Perret, Nell Carter, Keith Jamieson and others. Slim Dusty's recording of Rose's poem 'West of Winton' earned Dusty and Rose a Gold Guitar in January 2002.