荔枝视频

Back in the day, the mace was a blunt weapon with a wooden handle and a chunk of stone, copper, bronze, iron or steel affixed to the top. It was crude but effective at doing some serious damage through a knight鈥檚 protective armour or chain mail.

Happily, the mace has evolved over the centuries to have a much more pleasant and entirely ceremonial function. You鈥檒l see mace-bearers carrying the shiny staff in parliaments and parades, civic ceremonies and convocations. It鈥檚 placed on a special stand on the stage and turned upside down if the Queen or her representative happens to be present.

In the convocation procession, the mace-bearer walks in front of the chancellor as a ceremonial guard, the mace resting on the right shoulder. 鈥淭he original role of the mace-bearer was to protect the monarch,鈥� says Gavin Peat. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a weapon and it鈥檚 still referred to as 鈥榖randishing the mace.鈥欌�� The physical education instructor at the Werklund School of Education has been carrying the university鈥檚 mace for Werklund and other convocations since 2006.

In his role as mace-bearer, Gavin Peat acts as a ceremonial guard to the presiding chancellor.

Riley Brandt, 荔枝视频

As the procession reaches the stage and the piper stops playing, Peat gets to work letting the crowd know the chancellor 鈥� the duly appointed authority of convocation 鈥� is present and ready to go: 鈥淚 brandish the mace, north, south, east, and west. I do a complete turn on the stage,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t isn鈥檛 just a little twist of the wrist. I use my full arms to turn it around.鈥�  

The mace, a gift from Chancellor Emeritus Dr. Muriel Kovitz and Dr. David Kovitz in 1979, weighs about 25 pounds. Peat jokes that he鈥檚 noticed the occasional dignitary looking a little concerned as he swings it about on stage. 鈥淪ometimes I can see people in the front row looking at me and thinking 鈥楶lease don鈥檛 hit me!鈥欌��

But there鈥檚 no reason to worry. Our mace is in good, experienced hands. Before moving to Canada from the U.K. in 2000, Peat carried the mace at John Moore University in Liverpool. 鈥淚 used to carry it down the Anglican Cathedral. It was a good 400 metres but it felt like a mile and a half when you鈥檙e having to parade slowly down the nave.鈥�

Gavin Peat takes a break from his ceremonial duties to pose with a student.

Clayton MacGillivray, Werklund School of Education

Peat grew up in Staffordshire, in the Midlands, soaking up British history and spending family holidays touring Scottish castles. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been fascinated with the pageantry and history. I love the ceremonial stuff,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of protocol that goes with the mace, which sometimes we don鈥檛 necessarily follow as much in Canada as we do in the U.K. It is something that people are less familiar with here.鈥�

Cutting a few ceremonial corners doesn鈥檛 bother Peat in the least. He loves being part of convocation, being around the students and dignitaries. And he prefers carrying U荔枝视频鈥檚 mace 鈥� it鈥檚 a bit bigger, a little prettier and perhaps more practical. 鈥淪ome of them used to have a detachable head,鈥� says Peat. 鈥淎nd that became a problem because sometimes the head came off. With this one the head can鈥檛 come off, it鈥檚 a one-piece.鈥�