Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre and Lakefield College School have partnered to present a screening on November 26 of an award-winning documentary about a largely untold chapter of 20th-century Canadian history.
We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes tells the story of the 40,000 teenage girls who volunteered on Canadian farms during and after World War II and helped sustain the nation’s food supply while the young Canadian men who normally worked the farms were fighting overseas. Known as “Farmerettes,” the girls — many with no previous farming experience — came from different parts of Ontario and Quebec to many farms in southwestern Ontario.
If the story sounds familiar, it may be because 4th Line Theatre presented the world premiere of Onion Skins & Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes in 2024. The play was written by Alison Lawrence based on the book by Shirleyan English and Bonnie Sitter.
A resident of Exeter north of London in southwestern Ontario, Sitter first became aware of the Farmerettes when she found an old photograph of three young girls dressed in farm work clothes with “Farmerettes 1946” written on the back.
She did some research and wrote a story in 2018 that found its way to London resident and retired journalist Shirleyan English, who it turns out had worked as a Farmerette on the Sitter’s farm in Thedford and was planning to write her own book about the Farmerettes.
The two women eventually teamed up to write a book together, Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes, which features a collection of photos, letters, and memories from Farmerettes across the country.
VIDEO: “We Lend A Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes” trailer
Filmmaker Colin Field, who directed and produced the documentary, first met Sitter in 2019. Inspired by her research, he wanted to bring the story of the Farmerettes to the big screen.
“I was privileged to collaborate with Bonnie on this extraordinary story of dedication and perseverance,” Field says. “I got to interview 20 Farmerettes — now in their late nineties — for the documentary, and after two years of work and with the help of sponsors and generous donors, the documentary is finally complete.”
The 49-minute documentary shares the experiences of the Farmerettes through reenactments and unique archival images. It was named best documentary at the 2025 Niagara Canada International Film Festival, best Canadian documentary at the 2025 Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift, and the best film about women at the 2025 Toronto International Women Film Festival.
Both Field and Sitter will be attending the screening of the documentary at the Bryan Jones Theatre at Lakefield College School at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26.
Following the screening, they will participate in a question-and-answer session along with 4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase autographed copies of Sitter and English’s book.
The film is being screened at Lakefield College School as 4th Line Theatre and the school have a long-standing partnership, including the school’s support for 4th Line’s young company. In addition, many of the school’s students are the same age as the Farmerettes were and the school is continuing to develop its farm at the Northcote Campus.
Tickets for the screening are $25, with a portion of ticket sales going to 4th Line Theatre’s 30 to the Future Endowment Fund and Lakefield College’s Northcote Farm Endowment.
In addition, a collection will be taken during the screening in support of victims of the recent fire in downtown Lakefield.
To purchase tickets, call the 4th Line Theatre box office at 705-932-4445. Tickets will also be available online at www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca
