107 Year Old Blogger - Amazing!


In keeping with the topic of aging here, I nose around the internet a good bit. I just stumbled upon a story about the world’s oldest blogger. And, she probably is the world’s oldest blogger, but who knows? For a while, it seems the record shifted among several folks in their 90s until it was discovered that an Australian lady who’s close to turning 108 took the cake.

There’s some interesting history here.

At one point, it was thought that Don Crowdis, a Canadian, who at one time hosted the popular CBC Television series The Nature of Things, was the world’s oldest blogger. Don was born December 24, 1913 and was blogging until recently when family problems caused an interruption. His blog is Don to Earth, and is still up and running.

Then the crown went to 94 year old Alan Loof, a Norwegian, who began blogging in October, 1995 and continues to this day. You’ll find his blog here.

Another brief claim to fame fell upon a 95 year old Spanish grandmother, Maria Amelia. She discovered the internet only about a year ago, and has embraced it enthusiastically. Her comment:

“It all surprises me. It seems like a dream, like witchcraft. If my grandparents arose they would hallucinate (when they first listened to a gramophone, they thought there was someone inside it).”

Maria’s blog is found at amis95.blogspot.com.

And now, of course, comes the current champ, Olive Riley, who has a blog which, as you might guess, she calls The Life of Riley. To date her blog contains 29 posts going over her memories from a long life well lived. Her latest from July 15, 2007 digs into memories from the Great Depression in Australia. If you’d like, you can read more about Olive and her story.

Shoot! So, now when I’m blogging in my nineties, it won’t be news any more. I’m only 70. People have already “been there, done that” and by that time probably will have many times over. What it does show, however, is that older people can embrace new technology and I plan to do a website soon to help that along.

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2 Responses to “107 Year Old Blogger - Amazing!”

  1. Eric Shackleon 26 Jul 2007 at 6:38 pm link comment

    Hi Robert. Greetings from Sydney, Australia.

    I read your story about the world’s oldest bloggers with interest, as I too have written several stories about them. (I’m only 88).

    For the last seven years I’ve written “Life Begins at 80… on the Internet” in a bid to persuade seniors to ride with me on the web’s magic carpet. It’s posted at http://bdb.co.za/shackle.

    Best wishes, Eric.

  2. Roberton 26 Jul 2007 at 8:40 pm link comment

    Nice to hear from you Eric. Bless your heart for taking up the challange of the internet in your 80s. You’re a rare breed.

    I was interested to see from your site that Olive is the oldest YouTuber as well. Cutting edge gal. Good for her! I was also amused that she calls a blog a “blob”.

    If life begins at 80 on the internet, I have some distance still to travel, and, no doubt, a lot to look forward to.

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