Students hail mace bearer as absolute legend

David Bourne said he loved the formality of carrying a mace although he described himself as a "joker"

Students have hailed a university member of staff as an absolute legend for his role in graduation ceremonies.

For the past 13 years, security team leader David Bourne has been a mace bearer for the celebratory events twice a year at the University of Wolverhampton.

The 63-year-old, from Birmingham, shares the mace with a select few students and family members and loves the formality of carrying it, which requires the wearing gloves along with following other rules.

"Graduation is where everyone is happy, it's a celebration of achievement and the mace is just the cherry on top," he said.

The ceremonial mace symbolises the university's authority and signifies the proceedings have official sanction.

Comments on social media have been filled with praise for Mr Bourne, describing him as "true character of the uni" and an "absolute star".

"Graduation superstar and just such a lovely man," one Facebook user said.

Another student said they remembered him and his mace from when they graduated nearly 10 years ago.

Mr Bourne said that reading the comments had left him shocked and made him realise that people enjoy getting to hold the mace.

"I'm a joker, I like to have a laugh or life gets boring," he said, stressing that he also enjoys the formality of the ceremonies.

Mr Bourne is the Guild of Mace Bearers and carries another mace for Lichfield City Council.

"I enjoy it, I've being doing it so long and it's a completely different job," he said.