With the BlogHer '08 Conference just days away, it's ironic to report the death of the world's oldest blogger, Olive Riley, age 108. The great-great-grandmother's passing came shortly after completion of her 71st post on singing a "happy song" in her Woy Woy, New South Wales, Australia aged care hostel.

Miss Olive was born in Broken Hill, outside Sydney in 1899 when Australia was still a colony of the British Empire under Queen Victoria's rule. Olive's blog, The Life of Riley, which she charmingly called a "blob," chronicled an often colorful life. During her lifetime Olive supported her family as an egg sorter and station cook in rural Queensland and a barmaid in Sydney.

Raising three children as a single mother, living through two world wars, the Depression and witnessing the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge didn't dull her senses. I look forward to reading Olive's journal of the bridge ceremony. In 2005, it was a thrill and my dream come true to complete the Bridge Climb three months before my 50th birthday.

Assisted by her friend Mike Rubbo her "legacy blog" had an readership of 190,00 from around the world. Rubbo preserved chapters of Olive's history dating back to the turn of the last century via video on his You Tube profile. The clips reveal clear and detailed childhood memories over 100 years old.  I must say Olive barely looks a day over 80!

Miss Olive's blog is currently offline, but messages of condolences can be left at the World's Oldest Blogger site created by blogging assistant Eric Shackle.

What an inspiration.  "Blog Til You Drop," indeed.

R.I.P. Miss Olive.