A largely forgotten chapter of Canadian history will be brought to light as the 50-minute documentary film We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes screens in Clarksburg. The film has been selling out theatres across Ontario and will now be screened at the Marsh Street Centre (187 Marsh St., Clarksburg) on March 7.
Created by director/producer Colin Field and historical producer (and Exeter resident) Bonnie Sitter, the documentary tells the extraordinary story of 40,000 teenage girls who volunteered on Canadian farms during and after World War II, and helped sustain the nation’s food supply when young men left to fight overseas.
Bonnie Sitter, an author, was searching through old family photographs when she found a captivating image of a group of young women taken on her late husband’s family farm near Thedford with a caption on the reverse that read: ‘Farmerettes 1946’.
This led Bonnie to research the Farmerette story, and publish an article in The Rural Voice asking for women who served as Farmerettes to get in touch with her. Shirleyan English, a retired London Free Press journalist, read the article and wrote a letter to the editor, explaining her own experience as a Farmerette, and how it remained the best summer of her life. Bonnie and Shirleyan would go on to co-author the book Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes in 2019.
“We wanted to capture the story of how the Farmerettes helped win the Second World War by volunteering to aid farmers with food production,” said Bonnie. “Most of these girls had never seen a farm. They came from all over Ontario as volunteers. They weren’t conscripted. They chose to roll up their sleeves and do their part for Canada, and their efforts have largely been forgotten.”
Director Colin Field first met Bonnie in 2019 and was inspired by her research and desire to bring this forgotten Canadian story to life. He proposed a documentary film, and Bonnie agreed to fundraise to bring the project alive. Colin interviewed 20 Farmerettes – now in their 90s – for the documentary, and after two years of work, and with the help of sponsors and generous donors, We Lend a Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes is finally complete.
“It has been a privilege to travel throughout the province and hear the stories of these surviving Farmerettes,” Field said. “If it wasn’t for these girls, the soldiers wouldn’t have had food to eat and the economy would have ground to a halt.”
The film will be screened at 7 p.m. at the Marsh Street Centre, with doors open 30 minutes before the show. After the screening there will be a Q&A with author Bonnie Sitter and a chance to acquire autographed copies of Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes, Shirleyan English and Bonnie Sitter’s amazing book.
“Meaford Theatre Company is proud to offer this documentary screening to complement our upcoming live theatre production of ‘Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes’ this coming April,” said organizers.
Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ImJcqxbZgs
Tickets for the March 7 screening at the Marsh Street Centre are available through:
Tickets for the April (9/10/11/12 and 16/17/18) stage play at the Woodford Hall of ‘Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz – The Farmerettes’ are available through:
www.3common.com/meafordtheatrecompany or at the Book Hive in Meaford (cash sales only).
For more information please visit welendahand.ca
