In Memoriam: Chris Drenth 1929-2024
Chris Drenth's father was one of the six men who died in the Dresden tragedy
Chris Drenth, the oldest son of Hendrik and Harmke Drenth, passed away on September 17, 2024. Chris was 95 years old. He was a lovely, warm person, and throughout his life he watched out for the wellbeing of others around him.
Chris was already an adult when his father, Hendrik Drenth, died in the Dresden cave-in. Chris and Hermann Bremer (whose father, Jan, had also lost his life) stepped up to help after the tragedy. They assisted the widows in dealing with the Workers Compensation Board and attended the Coroner’s Inquest.
Interviewing Chris in 2023
At first Chris had been hesitant about being interviewed for the film. But after thinking it over (and a nudge from his daughter, Christey-Ann) he decided to participate. The interview went really well. I think he was surprised by how much he remembered.
After we finished, we continued chatting and Chris told us a remarkable story about a nighttime escape from the first farmer his father had worked for. When I looked over at Joe, I was relieved to see the camera was still running! We learned a lesson that day: don’t turn the camera off until the conversation is well and truly over. Sometimes the best parts come at the very end.
Later that fall I had a wonderful visit with Chris and showed him some of the footage we’d shot. By now he was really interested in the project and we parted warmly.
The Drenths at their first home in Canada. Chris is back left. This is the home they left in the middle of the night to escape from a dangerous employer.
Chris made an impression on those around him
This summer when we were filming on the beach at Port Bruce, a man came up to me and asked what we were working on. It turned out that he knew about our documentary project. Even more surprising, he knew Chris Drenth!
He told me Chris had been a coworker when he started working at a supermarket, and the Chris had taught him how to cut watermelons so that the seeds don’t show. He said that when Chris was younger, he and a friend had welded tobacco drums together to build a pontoon boat, which they used to take friends and family onto the lake. He also said that Chris and his friends had a film camera in the 60’s and that there were films of them on the beach at Port Bruce!
Urgency to finish this film
I’m grateful I was able to meet Chris and that his story will be part of this film, but this is also a reminder of the urgency driving this project. I would have loved for Chris to have seen the finished film, and I wish the same for all of the other surviving children of the Dresden victims.
Our cinematographer, Pawel Kacprzak, filming at Port Bruce this summer.