Australia cemetery trains lifeguard gravediggers

The strain of grief is causing so many mourners to suffer their own heart attacks and strokes that a Victorian cemetery has installed its own defibrillator.

About once every two months a mourner collapses at a friend or family member's funeral at Bunurong Memorial Park in Bangholme.

One unfortunate woman even suffered a fatal heart attack during a trial run of her own funeral.



So in an about-face on their usual duties, gravediggers are among those being trained as lifesavers with the skills to administer a heart-starting electric shock.

A portable defibrillator - the same as those in airports and at the MCG -- has been provided by St John Ambulance Australia, ready to shock a heart back to its normal rhythm or guide operators through first aid for stroke victims.

With many of the 100,000 funeral attendees suffering serious illness at the memorial park each year, Cheltenham and Regional Cemeteries Trust chief executive officer Vicki Pridmore said first aid had become a top priority.