By: Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
The production of a documentary detailing one of Ontario’s worst workplace tragedies is nearing the halfway mark.
Dubbed “Dresden 1957,” the film tells the story of a catastrophic cave-in on the bank of the Sydenham River in Dresden, where six Dutch immigrants were killed.
Chatham-Kent council were given a glimpse of the project at the Jan. 26 council meeting by founder and producer Eric Philpott.
“Our stories really matter,” Philpott told council. “They tell us who we are.”
Philpott is connected to the documentary in two ways. His mother was a Dutch immigrant and his father was a young site engineer helping lead the construction of a new pumping station for Dresden’s waterworks.
Five families were affected by the tragedy, with one family losing both a son and a father in the Aug. 14, 1957 incident.
Philpott has been crowdfunding for the project and needs around $6,000 to achieve his goal.
