Bobbie Heine Miller, South African-born Australian tennis player, Died at 106

Ester Laurie “Bobbie” Heine Miller was born on December 5, 1909, and died July 31, 2016.

She was a South African tennis player.

Miller was born in Greytown in the Colony of Natal.

When she became Bobbie Heine, she won the doubles title at the 1927 French Championships partnering Irene Bowder Peacock.

During 1929, Bobbie Heine was ranked No. 5 in the World.

Miller’s brother was the South African cricketer Peter Heine.

He taught herself to play tennis by hitting the ball against the wall of her father’s butcher shop in Winterton.

Bobbie received the nickname ‘Bobbie’ as a junior player when at a tournament a representative of the South African Tennis Union remarked that the round shape of her face resembled that of an English policeman.

During 1925, Miller won the Natal singles championship at the age of 15.

In 1927, he made her first trip to Europe .

During May she won the Surrey Championships at Surbiton after a win in the final against Irene Bowder Peacock and together they won the doubles title.

She made her first trip to Europe in 1927.

During May Bobbie won the Surrey Championships at Surbiton after a win in the final against Irene Bowder Peacock and together they won the doubles title.

She won the South African Championships singles title on five occasions (1928, 1931, 1932, 1936 and 1937).

Also to that she won six doubles titles (1930, 1931, 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1947) and five mixed doubles titles (1930, 1936, 1937, 1938 and 1939).

Bobbie married farmer Harry Miller.

They had a son and a daughter.

Bobbie’s husband died at the end of World War II in northern Africa during a routine operation to have his tonsils removed.

During 1978, Bobbie emigrated to Australia, where her children were living, and celebrated her 100th birthday in Canberra in 2009.

During 2016, at age 106, she was one of Canberra’s oldest citizens.

Bobbie Heine Miller passed away at 106 years old.