20 Ancestors in 20 Weeks–Number 5–George Douglas Hardy Sr

 

OBITUARY
MR  GEORGE HARDY SR
We tender our sympathy to Councillor G.D.Hardy of the Borough Council ( Devon-port) on the death of his father, Mr George Douglas Hardy, who died at his residence, Bollard Avenue, Avondale at the age  of 88 years.
Mr. Hardy was born at Troon, Scotland, and came to New Zealand in 1865 on the ship Armstrong. For two years after his arrival he served in ships trading between Australia and New Zealand, and he then settled permanently in Auckland and became an attendant at the Avondale Mental Hospital . There was no resident doctor in those days and after a few years Mr Hardy was appointed head attendant. A doctor called daily for about an hour or two, but apart from that Mr Hardy and no supervision of his administration.
After 20 years at the hospital, Mr Hardy entered business , from which he eventually retired about 25 years ago. Mr Hardy was married in Auckland in 1868, and when he and his wife first settled in the Avondale district there were very few houses in the neighbourhood, and the only means of getting to the city was by foot or on horseback along a rough track. Mr and Mrs Hardy celebrated their diamond wedding in 1928.
In earlier days, Mr Hardy was a prominent Mason and was a past grand master of the Newton Mark Lodge and of Lodge Eden. Among his greatest treasures were presentations in the form of medallions from both of these institutions.
Mrs Hardy survives her husband, and in addition to Cr. Hardy there is a family of three sons and three daughters as follows :- Mr Ben Hardy of Mt Eden, Mr Robert Hardy Wellington, Mr Frank Hardy of Newton, Mrs J B Cooper of Otorohanga, Mrs E Miller of Grey Lynn, Mrs W Sill of Remuera. There are also 18 grandchildren and 16 great  greandchildren.
NorthShore Gazette Devonport  October 1933.