I know he’ll send me BACK TO THE HILLS!!!

With those two lines Albury’s most prominent author, bush writer Neil Hulm signed off his final poem, a story of his life.

Mr Hulm died in the palliative care section of Albury’s Mercy hospital on Tuesday, nearly two months after penning that 24-stanza tale.

He was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer last June.

Despite failing health, Mr Hulm continued to write and sign books and he marked his 80th birthday on February 25 with a party attracting 100 guests.

Among them was Canberra bush poet Jim Weatherstone, who read Mr Hulm’s Back to the Hills, and yesterday trumpeted his friend of 20 years.

“He knew the bush and he knew what he was talking about, he had been there and done that,” Mr Weatherstone said, “he had written about the stuff that people think they know about, but only imagine.”

Mr Hulm self-published 13 books, with his daughter Ronelle Jones saying he had sold more than 50,000 since becoming an author in 1984.

Mr Hulm grew up in the Tumbarumba district after being born in Wagga with his achievements including representing the region in polocrosse.

He moved to Albury in 1972 and became a horse trainer before embarking on a writing career which he told The Border Mail last year that he should have begun 30 years earlier.

In recent years he has been a familiar site at Albury book shops, setting up a card table and peddling his books.

“He was a good sort of country Australian, he would chat away to anyone about anything,” the proprietor of Albury’s Collins Booksellers Judith Hudson said.

His family will continue selling his books through a website.

Mr Hulm is survived by his wife of 56 years Jill and children Garry Hulm, Terry Hulm, Alanna Hulm and Ronelle Jones.

A funeral service will be held at the City Central Church in Albury from 10am tomorrow.