Selection of his 1,500 lifetime carvings on exhibit through December
By Heather Walters
PORT Dover Harbour Museum is displaying many carvings created by Thircul Church, a local award-winning wood carver specializing in everything ducks. Mr. Church, now in his 70s, has been carving wooden duck decoys for over 50 years.
He describes himself as an avid duck hunter. In his early 20s, he began figuring out how he could improve on the plastic decoys used by his contemporaries. He pointed out these were often unbalanced and could flip over in the water. He borrowed his dad’s old wooden decoys and found that they worked much better.
Being a practical man, Mr. Church decided to make his own decoys. Once he figured out how to make them both lifelike and functional on the water, he whittled away until he had a flock of ducks that looked very natural. Such was the beginning of a long and passionate love affair with both wood carving and ducks in general.
His daughter, Stephanie, said she remembers sharing baths with many a floating duck over the years as her father tested his carvings, ensuring they were properly balanced and weighted so that they would never flip over. Family members and neighbours benefited from Mr. Church’s early work as he perfected his techniques—often carving smaller duck prototypes that became toys for the youngsters.
Mr. Church grew up in Vittoria with his parents, Katie and Gord Church, and seven siblings. He is proud of his Scottish heritage and is the grandson of Vittoria’s blacksmith. In 1972, he married Judy Johnston, and they moved to Port Dover in 1975, raising two daughters, Stephanie and Melissa.
It was at this time that he discovered his passion and talent for carving. He worked at a variety of jobs, from selling hot dogs to driving big rigs, but preferred to stay close to home. He dedicated nearly 20 years to Trailmobile and worked at the Brantford TSC Store before retiring.
Mr. Church was always an avid outdoorsman, hunter, and fisherman in Norfolk County. His decoy carving, which had begun out of necessity, turned into a creative outlet. His decoys became so realistic and well painted that they were sought after by local collectors. He estimates he has carved 1,500 wooden ducks and birds.
Mr. Church is self-taught and drew inspiration and support from fellow carvers. Urged to enter decoy carving competitions, he began to win.
Other than cutting out the basic block of wood from the plank, he said proudly that he never uses power tools to create his ducks. Many of his secret techniques were homegrown solutions—like the time he was trying to replicate the iridescent sheen on a duck’s head and ended up borrowing eyeshadow and mascara from his daughter to achieve the effect he was looking for.
His creations include various local ducks, shorebirds, geese, and doves in a variety of poses—alert, swimming, feeding, and sleeping.
The greatest compliment he may have ever received was when a seahawk was fooled by the decoy and made a valiant attempt to fly off with it. He keeps the damaged, scarred decoy as a testament to a job well done.
Mr. Church’s success with decoys—and winning many prestigious awards throughout North America—has not changed his character and good nature. He has a generous spirit and donates many decoys to local fundraisers. He also carves half-doves to place on the doors of nursing home residents who are passing away. Ducks Unlimited recognized his contributions by awarding him a Pewter Teal Award.
Mr. Church taught decoy carving at Fanshawe College for 20 years. Some of his protegés, such as Harley Snively, Dr. Harold Hynscht, Cory Van Groningen, and Lorraine Fletcher, have gone on to excel in the craft.
Port Dover Harbour Museum curator Katie Graham and volunteer Jeremy Hayes, with the generosity of private collectors, have gathered a significant collection of Mr. Church’s decoys for display at the museum until the end of December. Along with the carvings are many interesting artifacts, tools, and explanations of techniques used in each carving. Many carvings come with a history of how it came to be—often humorous and always interesting.
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Originally published December 3, 2025
