Rose was one of two Aboriginal women who become a fully-trained teacher. She taught Aboriginal women at the Nungalinya College in Darwin a joint Anglican and Uniting Church College for Theologians for a number years. Rose married Djalangi Gumbala and they had three children, one daughter and two sons. In 1992 Rose become the first indigenous principal of Shepherdson College at Galiwinku this is a bilingual school. Rose is fluent in a number of aboriginal languages; this skill has played a crucial role in smoothing out the subtle stresses that arose between people of different backgrounds in a cross-cultural environment. Rose raised three children and continued to teach along with church involvement and be a loyal supporter of her husband. She maintained her Aboriginal heritage and is a skilled story-teller and at gathering bush tucker. She was the director of the Galiwinku child care centre for six years and retired in early 2005. Rose is a respected community leader and is always keen to teach new skills and crafts to the community.,