Crowdfunding is ongoing to support a documentary that hopes to tell the story of a construction cave-in that killed six Dutch immigrant workers in Dresden in the 1950s.
Crowdfunding is ongoing to support a documentary that hopes to tell the story of a construction cave-in that killed six Dutch immigrant workers in Dresden in the 1950s.
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Toronto-based director Eric Philpott is two weeks into the campaign for Dresden 1957.
At the time, it was believed to be the worst workplace disaster in Ontario’s history.
The crowdfunding campaign, which runs through July 10, aims to raise $78,000 and enable Philpott’s team to complete filming in Canada by the end of September, a media release said.
Philpott’s late father, Keith Philpott, was the site engineer in Dresden where a deep pit was excavated beside the Sydenham River for the construction of a pumping station. This was to feed a new water treatment plant for the town.
Keith Philpott was concerned about the stability of the soil, and shared his concerns with the contractor, but no measures were taken. This remained a family story until 2020, when Keith’s diaries, photos, drawings, and other documents related to this project were discovered.
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These materials reveal what happened leading up to the disaster.
“It’s hard to believe that something which had that much impact when it happened could have disappeared so completely,” Philpott said in the release. “The Dresden cave-in was nationwide news in Canada and the Netherlands. Today, I have yet to meet an expert who has even heard of it.”
In an interview earlier this year, Philpott told The Daily News he hopes to raise awareness about the tragedy. He added that given the age of many relatives of the victims, he felt a “sense of urgency” with the project.
The families of the men who died recently arrived from the Netherlands, as part of the wave of post-war migration.
One of the men killed, Wilfred Hovius, was 19. He died with his father Enne, 39. The oldest, Henrik Drenth, was 58. Jan Bremer was 43 and Jan Oldewening was 45. Their foreman, Dirk Ryksen, was 36.
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Most Dutch immigrants were required to work for local farmers for their first year in Canada, and weren’t always treated well by their sponsors. This larger story forms the backdrop of the film.
“Our family came over on the Watermann, a converted troop carrier, in 1953,” John Hovius, who lost his father and oldest brother in Dresden, said in the release.
“The first farmer my dad worked for fired him after all the crops were harvested. That was in October and there he was, with a wife and seven children, with no home, no money, and no job.”
Philpott said the issues the documentary explores are still relevant, including the vulnerability of immigrant workers, the treatment of migrant farm workers, and the sometimes uneven application of the law.
Those interested in supporting the project can visit: https://seedandspark.com/fund/dresden-1957
People are invited to join a live Q&A with Philpott and Hovius on Monday at noon Eastern Time: https://www.youtube.com/live/ZPMy28TGXCE?si=QC40i39CP1IT4Wzx
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