Home for 'elderly poor' had strict rules

It was 1925 and at the Park Island Old People's Home the penalty for disobeying the strict liquor ban was to be shown the door.
No excuses. No arguments.
Just a simple "pack your things, you're on your way".
From March 1907, until its destruction in the 1931 earthquake, the stately old buildings of the home housed the "indigent elderly" although the conditions were slightly different to what rest and retirement homes offer today.
This colourful chapter in Hawke's Bay's history was officially recognised last week with the placing of a signboard plaque near the entrance to what is now the Western Hills Cemetery at Park Island - the spot where the home once stood.
The signboard, marking the site and explaining its pre-earthquake significance in the region, was unveiled by members of the Hawke's Bay Branch of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust with Mayor Barbara Arnott in attendance.
Branch chairman Denis Pilkington said before the Park Island home opened its doors there had been a small, and somewhat scruffy, old building on Napier Hill which served as a "refuge" for old and needy men during the latter stages of the 19th century.
But after the turn of the century the Napier Hospital and Charitable Aid Board built a new home for "the elderly poor" at Park Island.
Up to 100 elderly men and women lived there at times, and those in reasonable health were expected to help with cleaning, kitchen duties and gardening.
After World War I it became strictly a home for men who were described as "chronic cases or broken down in health returned soldiers". As Mayor Arnott pointed out in her unveiling speech, there was little or no latitude for men who had "given their all" during the war.
"It was lights out at eight, they could only have visitors between 2pm and 4pm on Wednesday or Sunday ... and they weren't even allowed a drink."
During the 1931 earthquake the brick and tile home collapsed, and 15 residents died.
Survivors were evacuated temporarily to homes in Southern Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Wanganui and Wairarapa, and upon their return to the Bay were sent to boarding houses or private homes.
The Park Island Old People's Home was never rebuilt. Mr Pilkington said it was another part of the region's history many people may not have been aware of, and it was important to keep the memories and heritage alive.
The branch's next area of focus for an informative signboard will be Onepoto Gully off Main St on Hospital Hill.