During the Second World War, many of Australia’s traditional labourers – including gravediggers – were called away to military service. Like countless communities across the country, Drouin faced shortages of skilled workers, even in roles as essential and sombre as preparing graves.

One of the most remarkable figures from this period was Mrs Josephine Smith (pictured around 1944 aged 84 years), who became well known at Drouin Cemetery for taking on the physically demanding role of grave digging. Mrs Smith was a fully qualified grave digger who devoted much of her spare time to planting trees at the Drouin Cemetery and tending to the graves.

She believed firmly that there was a right way and a wrong way to dig a grave, favouring sandy soil above all others, and she was known to head out at midnight when a rush job was needed. Paid thirty shillings for the eight hours of hard labour required for each grave, she first took up the work to support her third husband when ill health prevented him from continuing. Remarkably strong and working unaided, Mrs Smith attributed her stamina to a bottle of stout after each grave and a diet of plain, hearty food.