Roy was born c.1933 in the bush near present day Kaltukatjara (Docker River). His birthplace is a sacred site for the Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) dreaming. Roy grew up in the Kaltukatjara area with his family, and remembers this as a time of plenty when the abundance of bush food and fresh water sustained many Anangu. In 1942, he and his family walked for days across a vast salt lake to the Areyonga Mission. Roy went to school at the Mission, but as a young man returned to his home country and was initiated into men's law. Roy was trained and ordained as a Christian minister in the 1980s. He married his first wife and they had several children together; when she passed away, he remarried with renowned ngangkari Pantjiti McKenzie AO. He now lives in Kaltukatjara (Docker River) community with many generations of his family. Roy has been painting and carving punu (wooden artefacts) for decades. Pastor Roy has a strong love for his country, underpinned by deep knowledge of Tjukurpa. He has seamlessly married traditional and Christian beliefs together to become a spiritual leader for his community, and a custodian of an incredible body of knowledge. With his paintings, Pastor Roy offers viewers visions of his country as he saw it as a young man: beautiful, bountiful, lively, and full of joy.

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