Early access to Wards 6 & 7
Robert Gordon was a porter at the Hospital from 1918 until the 1950's. Toward the end of his career, he wrote down in a notebook his recollections of life & work at the Hospital, and below are transcribed the entries he made about the original wards & lift. The notebook is in the Archives New Zealand collection, ref: ABRR 7563 Acc W4990/7i "When I first started work for the Board in January 1918, the old building was much the same as originally built. The wards were then, from what is now known as Ward one to six, but were known by their native names, vis. Hinemoa, Rotorua, Arawata, Waiwera, and Fraser (Wd 6) and ward 5, the Allen. Eye ward was completed but not opened. Ward 6 was the only upstairs ward, and believe it or not, the lift at the Ward five end of the corridor was hauled up by a windlass. One had to put the patient in a chair, a basket work three wheeled affair, place him or her in the lift and climb a ladder to the top of the lift well and two of us would have to turn the handles until the patient and chair plus escort came up to the level of Ward six. The faster the other man turned you had to keep up with him literally for your stomach's sake, or a belt in that region from the handle was the penalty for trying to go slow."

Early access to Wards 6 & 7

Robert Gordon was a porter at the Hospital from 1918 until the 1950's. Toward the end of his career, he wrote down in a notebook his recollections of life & work at the Hospital, and below are transcribed the entries he made about the original wards & lift. The notebook is in the Archives New Zealand collection, ref: ABRR 7563 Acc W4990/7i

"When I first started work for the Board in January 1918, the old building was much the same as originally built. The wards were then, from what is now known as Ward one to six, but were known by their native names, vis. Hinemoa, Rotorua, Arawata, Waiwera, and Fraser (Wd 6) and ward 5, the Allen. Eye ward was completed but not opened.

Ward 6 was the only upstairs ward, and believe it or not, the lift at the Ward five end of the corridor was hauled up by a windlass. One had to put the patient in a chair, a basket work three wheeled affair, place him or her in the lift and climb a ladder to the top of the lift well and two of us would have to turn the handles until the patient and chair plus escort came up to the level of Ward six. The faster the other man turned you had to keep up with him literally for your stomach's sake, or a belt in that region from the handle was the penalty for trying to go slow."