Knife maker inspired by SA’s Bush war for his blades

Roodepoort-based knifemaker Sean Culhane has just completed the first of his third and final boot knives commemorating South Africa’s 30-year Bush War, which began in 1969 and ended in 1989.

Three years ago, on the 30th anniversary of the end of the Bush War, the Roodepoort-based knifemaker produced his “Pro Patria” edition.

The knife was inspired by the actual medal issued to soldiers serving in the “red zone” or operational area from 1974 onwards – the handle reflected the colours of the medal ribbon, with a miniature of the actual medal  embedded into the African hardwood handle and its design acid etched on the blade.

Culhane only made 30. Marketed by word of mouth, his order book rapidly filled up, inspiring him to design a companion knife, the “Southern Africa”, during lockdown last year. The Southern Africa Medal (SAM) was instituted in 1987 and awarded for all external operations between 1976 and March 1990, when Namibia became independent.

This knife also has the distinctive Angolan flag colours of the medal ribbon in its handle, a mini rosette of the medal and the acid etch on the blade. This limited series proved as popular, so Culhane decided to complete the trifecta by designing the “GSM” off the same design template, commemorating the General Service Medal, which was also instituted in 1987 and awarded for internal operations by SADF troops from 1983, but including the SADC-led Operation Boleas into Lesotho in 1997, until it was discontinued in 2003.

The GSM too reflects the colours of its medal ribbon in the handle and has a miniature embedded in it, with the medal design acid etched on the blade.

Like the other two, collectors who are veterans can opt to have their knives personalised on the reverse of the blade with their own service details.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the response,” Culhane says. “I purposefully kept to the limited edition for each style and now I’ve had to start making boot knives representing the corps or actual units where veterans served, because there are no more Pro Patrias left, only some SAMs and now the GSMs.”

He has, however, kept one of the Pro Patria knives back – Number 27. This and number 27 of the SAM and GSM will be placed in a special hand-crafted wooden box and put on auction later this year as a complete set.

Each of the knives meets the benchmark Rockwell hardness scale and comes with Culhane’s lifetime guarantee, but even though they are fully functional combat knives very few are worn in the field.

“Most of the people are buying them to display in their bars or their studies. They’re mostly veterans who vowed to have nothing more to do with the military after their initial two years conscription, but now you see more and more of them applying for the service medals they’re entitled to, getting them mounted and either wearing them to veterans’ events – or displaying them as is.”

– To find out more about Culhane’s knives, see his Facebook page.