'Oldest' blogger dies, aged 108

An Australian woman - reputed to be the world's oldest internet blogger - has died at the age of 108, officials say.

Olive Riley had posted more than 70 entries about her life since she began her blog in February 2007.

She shared her thoughts on modern life and experiences of living through the entire 20th Century, including two world wars and the Great Depression.

In her final entry on 26 June, she described singing a happy song at her care home with nurses and a visitor.

'Keeping mind fresh'

Olive Riley died in the nursing home in New South Wales on Saturday.

It was great fun and it was great too to probe her [Olive Riley's] memory more deeply Mike Rubbo, documentary maker

"Our dear friend Olive Riley passed away peacefully... She will be mourned by thousands of internet friends and hundreds of descendants and other relatives," a note on her website - http://worldsoldestblogger.blogspot.com - said.

In her final post from the town of Woy Woy, she wrote: "I can't believe I've been here in this nursing home for more than a week.

"How the days have flown, even though I've been in bed most the time. I still feel weak, and can't shake off that bad cough.

"I've never been treated so well in all my life. The nurses can't do enough for me," she wrote.

Olive Riley was born in the town of Broken Hill on 20 October 1899.

During her long life, she took various jobs, including working as an egg-sorter and barmaid. She also raised three children.

Documentary maker Mike Rubbo said the idea for blogging came to Olive Riley from a friend who had taken it up.

"He suggested that Ollie could blog so we put it to her and explained what a blog was and then I undertook to do all the sort of leg work," Mr Rubbo was quoted as saying by Australia's ABC News.

"It was great fun and it was great too to probe her memory more deeply and you get ever more stories about her past, many of which of course were set in Broken Hill," he said.

Olive Riley's great-grandson said blogging had brought her into contact with people from around the world and had kept her mind fresh.