Crossword Genius

Winnie, say, with a fellow at old town. The next one (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

neighbour

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'winnie' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are singular nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'say with a fellow at old town the next one' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'old' could be 'o' (common abbreviation eg in OE for Old English) and 'o' is found in the answer.
'one' could be 'i' (Roman numeral) and 'i' is found in the answer.
'say' could be 'eg' (both can mean for example) and 'eg' is present in the remaining letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for neighbour that I've seen before include "One living close by" , "One living next door" , "man next door" , "Exist near" , "Local resident" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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