Sir Zelman Cowen, in "A Tale of Three Portraits." Final years and death By 1982, the widowed Herbert was working on a new novel, "Me and My Shadow" and took a two-month tour of his birth state, Western Australia, in 1983 to gather material for the book. On 15 January 1984, at age 83, he left his home in Redlynch, Queensland for the last time to drive in his Landrover into the centre of the country, the Northern Territory. He travelled 2,000 km to his destination: Alice Springs. In June 1984, Herbert refused to accept an award of the Order of Australia from the Hawke government, on the grounds that it was a British Empire honour rather than a nationalist Australian one. In September, Herbert was treated for skin grafts on his leg and carpal tunnel syndrome in Alice Springs, where he was visited by the artist Sidney Nolan and his wife Mary. After his treatment, Herbert moved in temporarily with his doctor, Charles Butcher, and Butcher's family, where he would live for the remaining weeks of his life. Herbert died on 10 November 1984 from kidney failure. He was commemorated by the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, as "a prodigiously committed Australian". He was buried in Alice Springs, together with his wife's ashes, in a ceremony officiated by Aboriginal activist Pat Dodson in recognition of Herbert's long support for the rights of Aboriginal Australians. Published works Novels Capricornia (1938) Seven Emus (1959) Soldiers' Women (1961) Poor Fellow My Country (1975) – Miles Franklin Award Winner, 1975 Short story collections Larger than Life (1963) South of Capricornia (1990) – Edited by Russel McDougal Xavier Herbert (1992) – Edited by Frances de Groen and Peter Pierce Non-fiction Disturbing Element (1963) – Autobiography Letters (2002) – Edited by Frances De Groen, Laurie Hergenhan Letters from Xavier Herbert, 1980–1983 (unpublished), By Peggy Hayes References Xavier Herbert biographies Xavier Herbert literary criticism ''A Long and Winding Road: Xavier Herbert's Literary Journey'' – Sean Monahan (2003) – Review External links A book on Herbert's novels at www.xavier-herbert-novels.com. The book can be read on site or downloaded. Biography on www.middlemiss.org George Negus Tonight segment Frances Devlin-Glass 'The Eco-Centric Self and the Sacred in Xavier Herbert's Poor Fellow My Country ' JASAL 8 (2008) Fiona Probyn-Rapsey 'Some Whites are Whiter than others: the Whitefella Skin Politics of Xavier Herbert and Cecil Cook' JASAL Special Issue 2007 1901 births