Media News - Tuesday, July 15, 2008

‘World’s oldest blogger’ dies at 108

An Australian woman often described as the world's oldest blogger died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about her ailing health but how she sang "a happy song, as I do every day." Olive Riley posted more than 70 entries on her blog - or "blob" as she jokingly called it - since February 2007. She died Saturday at a nursing home in New South Wales. Born in 1899, she would have turned 109 on October 20. She took up blogging at the suggestion of Mike Rubbo, who filmed a documentary on her life four years ago. On the site, The Life of Riley, and in a series of videos post on YouTube, Riley mused on her day-to-day life. She also recounted living through two world wars and raising three children on her own while working as a cook and a bar maid. Various others have at times been labeled the world's oldest blogger, including Spain's Maria Amelia who was born in 1911 and given a blog by "my grandson, who is very stingy." Riley was 12 years older than Amelia. In her final post, dated June 26, Riley wrote how she felt weak "and can't shake off that bad cough." She wrote of singing a "happy song, as I do every day," with a visitor to the nursing home, "and before long we were joined by several nurses, who sang along too. It was quite a concert!” (CNN)

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