16 The Business of Ontario Agriculture Better Farming | January 2024 One example of a camp shared by Sitter was the converted grist mill in Thedford. The girls slept on the upper floor in bunkbeds, while downstairs there was a shared space, and the washrooms were outside. The camps had cooks, helpers, camp mothers, and labour secretaries. The labour secretaries were often girls that had previously been Farmerettes, returning after their first year of university. They were responsible for job assignments, collecting hours, and distributing pay packets. Sitter says that this was the first time many of these young women were away from their homes. “The girls did a lot of growing up. The camp staff cleaned the bedding and the camp, but girls were responsible for their own laundry. At these camps, a bell rang, and they got their lunch made, marked their name on the bag, and farmers started coming to pick them up,” says Sitter. “Often the work started at 7:30 am with maybe a 15-minute break in morning, and there’d be a lunch break and the farmer would provide water to be passed around through the group. And no one got sick, even though they were sharing the water.” Sitter says many of the past Farmerettes she has talked to describe these summers as the healthiest they’d ever been. The girls also enjoyed the friendships made in the camps outside of work hours. While most nights involved a curfew, the Farmerettes did have some free evenings and weekends to travel to nearby towns and see movies, and sometimes attend dances hosted by the camps. Lambton County Museums says that some camps had softball teams, and the girls would also write letters home, knit clothing for soldiers, or play board games. Many Farmerettes continue to look back fondly on these memories. Sharing stories In 2018, nearly 70 years after the program ended, Sitter found a photo of some Farmerettes while sorting through her late husband’s belongings. Not recognizing the girls in the photograph spurred Sitter to learn about the photo’s origins, and consequently, she discovered the Farmerette program. In her research, Sitter has uncovered just how valuable the Farmerettes were to Canada’s role in the Second World War. “Something that I think is really important to note is that people think bombs and bullets win the war, but if people can’t be fed, it doesn’t work,” says Sitter. “It all starts with food. Our allies had to be fed and our canning factories and food industries were shipping food to Britain on Atlantic convoys. “These were being blown up, but they just kept producing the food and sending it out and that’s what carried us through the war to victory. It was food.” Sitter now aims to spread the word and recognize the stories and contributions of the Farmerettes, many of whom are now 90 to 100 years old. “It is an unknown story that started with a tiny picture that was 2.5 by 2.5 inches. I saw the girls and didn’t know their story and decided to do research. I could’ve decided to throw that picture out and the story would’ve been lost.” Sitter previously released a book titled Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz; Memories of Ontario Farmerettes, and is now working on a documentary sharing the stories through interview clips. Also, the 4th Line Theatre in Millbank will be premiering a play – also titled Onion Skins & Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes – in the summer of 2024 to honour the story of the Farm Service Force. There will be 18 opportunities to see the play in the outdoor theatre starting in July. Sitter also intends to work with Canada Post to create a postage stamp to commemorate the work of the Farmerettes. “We are feeling quite positive that Canada Post Corporation will listen to the story that’s spreading, and they will honour and recognize the service of the Farmerettes. “And I think the message will go far and wide in Canada. We just keep working at these things and hope that they get recognized. “No one taught me about the Farmerettes, but I wanted to learn about them and made a stab at it, and away it’s gone.” BF Farmerettes EMILY CROFT Emily lives on a beef farm, raising Red Angus and Simmental cattle. She holds a Master of Science in Animal Biosciences from University of Guelph, with a focus on ruminant nutrition. Most Farmerettes lived in camps.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc0MDI3