A person needs to have a strong fascination and a passion to carry out a job not many are willing to do – that of a post-mortem attendant.

In an interview with The Malta Independent, a man who spent many of his working years doing such task, speaks with enthusiasm about what the job entailed.

“Although it wasn’t my first job, I always knew that I wanted to work in a mortuary,” he said.

He recounts how he was always captivated by the profession, in a way “just like other people are with cars or other things”.

The ex-post-mortem attendant said that despite seeing dead bodies on a daily basis, it never affected his way of life as he was interested in these matters from a very young age.

Recounting an episode from his early childhood, he explained that it was not the first time that he convinced his mother to go to a particular village on purpose, to go and have a peak at the mortuary. Afterwards he would go to his mother and tell her: “I saw a covered corpse.”

Despite having spent almost two decades working in the profession, he confessed that he would have wished to have started earlier.

Speaking about death-related professions in general, he said that sometimes people look down on them, as they involve working with dead people; but at the end of the day “someone has to do the job”.

“This job is like any other, you wear your uniform and go about your day,” he said.

He said that this job has not affected his everyday life as during other daily activities he never found himself visualising corpses.

Despite having to face death on a daily basis, he said that this did not affect his views on death either, as it still saddens him, like any other person, especially when it hits home.

He said that it was not the first time that he had to take care of a corpse of someone he knew.

“You have to take care of them as at the end of the day, if the procedure is not done right, your wrongdoings will be visible to other people, especially during a funeral,” he said.

The same reasoning was shared by Mary Louise Mallia, who is the owner of Ta’ Bertu Mallia Funeral services.

Speaking about her own business, she said that in such a position, if one does not give their 100%, people will not come to make use of their services again.

Having been in the business for 36 years, Mallia said that there has never been a time where her business was lacking, as people are always requesting her services.

Despite being an undertaker for a long time, she said that seeing dead people does not affect her in itself, except when the dead person is someone who is young.

Although earlier in life she could never have imagined being a business owner, she said that she always had an intention to work in the sector, as she was preparing to work in a mortuary.

Recounting the early years in the industry, she said that many people acted astonished when she told them she was an undertaker; simply because she was a woman. She explained that all this ended with today’s present gender equality.

Apart from being an undertaker, Mallia is also a mother of four. Despite having their own professions, her children never say no when their mother asks for help.

“If anybody is available, they always come to help me when needed,” she said proudly.

Speaking about when her children were still young, she said that she could never plan a day out with them as she had to always be on call.

The only thing she could do is promise them that if her services were not needed, she would be taking them out for the day.

Mallia said that her perception of death has always been the same despite seeing corpses regularly.

“I always keep in mind that death exists and is something which is inevitable,” she said.

She added that this is the same reasoning with which she explains death to her nephews and nieces. She reminds them that how with every beginning comes joy, so does sorrow come with every ending.