Adelaide River War Cemetery groundskeeper Rob Thorne finds solace among the graves

Stobo, Daisy, Molly and Archibald are just four of the 435 names who keep groundskeeper Rob Thorne company during his workday in the town of Adelaide River, about an hour south-east of Darwin.

"You know them — well, I'm around long enough that they probably know me better than I know them," Mr Thorne said.

The number of people buried here outnumbers the total population of Adelaide River, which is home to a little more than 300 people.

During World War II, this peaceful town in the Top End was anything but quiet.

At its peak, tens of thousands of troops passed through. A major general hospital set up in the town and, after Darwin was bombed — in the largest attack ever carried out on mainland Australia — Adelaide River became a headquarters for both Australian and American forces.

The legacy of that time, and of those people, remains there today — in the Adelaide River War Cemetery.

The significance of the place and Mr Thorne's role in it today are not lost on the dedicated gardener.

Despite loving what he does, Mr Thorne had his work cut out for him last month when he needed to get the cemetery up to scratch for Anzac Day, after floodwaters ripped through the grounds in March.

"A lot of silt, a lot of debris all over the pedestal beds … the pressure of the water, the amount of water, it actually lifted the concrete footings of the [fence]," Mr Thorne said.

With the fence down, the threat of wild animals trampling the area was a very real risk.

"Most gardeners are worried about mites, slugs and snails, but around here I'm always worried about pigs, buffaloes, and even crocodiles," Mr Thorne said.

One of Mr Thorne's proudest achievements is growing the perpetual roses in the garden.

"A lot of people say you can't grow roses [here], but I tend to think I'm going to try and grow tomatoes in Antarctica, therefore I can grow roses in the Top End," he said.

And while he spends his days caring for what's alive, he never loses sight of who it's all for.

Mr Thone says he doesn't play favourites, but some graves naturally stand out to him.

They include the unknown civilians who died in the bombing of Darwin — names like Jimmy from Queensland, Billy from Marakai, Dizzy from Adelaide River, and a woman named Daisy Martin.

"Daisy's a really sad story ... she was in the admin house, she looked after the administrators. When they got hit, they forgot about her; she was found three days later," Mr Thorne said.

Vietnam War veteran Reginald Hedley Hilliar, who was only re-interred in 2016 during the Operation Bring Them Home campaign, also sits close to his heart.

"He's alone in the corner because he was a Vietnam veteran. He's a local guy from Tortilla Flats," Mr Thorne said.

"He does get a lot of attention … good on him. He's back home, right here in Adelaide River.

In the seven years he has worked at the cemetery, Mr Thorne has seen many reunions between those buried there and their descendants.

"Some lady came in from way out back of New South Wales, and with her she brought a handful of dirt from her home,"

She walked in, she was 80-odd, on her frame … she came straight up to me and says, 'I'm looking for this person', and showed me this tub of dirt she had in her hand, and she told me she was bringing this bit of home back to him.

"I get a bit choked up about it."

And if Mr Thorne is ever feeling glum, he'll take a look at the hundreds of comments praising the maintenance of the gardens and plaques in the guest book at the cemetery's gate.

"I couldn't be prouder actually,"