Constitution & Rules
South Western Golden Retriever Club Constitution and Rules
1. Title and Objects
The name of the Society shall be the South Western Golden Retriever Club, its objects being to encourage the Breeding of the Golden Retriever as laid down in the Kennel Club Breed Standard, to run shows, to run Field Trials and Working Tests; to organise any other activities which promotes either Working or Show Side; to be for the benefit of its members and not to be classed as a trading business so that all profits from any source, function and/or activity of the Club shall be maintained for the use of and for the further education of its members in management, training, showing, breeding and every aspect pertaining to Golden Retrievers.
The Club shall maintain a Judges List according to Kennel Club requirements to be updated annually (A1, A2, A3, B & C List minimum requirements).
2. Membership
The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of members with single or joint membership.
The Club will make a list of members and their addresses available for inspection if so requested by the members of the Society or by the Kennel Club. This list must be sent to The Kennel Club with the Annual Returns.
Application for membership shall be made on an Application Form, duly proposed and seconded by TWO members of the Club, and together with the joining fee and Annual Subscription as laid down in Rule 3, submitted to the Secretary, who will offer the acceptance to the Executive Committee at the first meeting to be held after the receipt of the Application Form.
The Executive Committee may reject the Application upon a verdict of not less than 75% of their voting power, in which case all fees shall be returned to the applicant.
3. Subscriptions
An initial Joining fee of £ 2.00 per person which is payable in addition to the year's subscription, shall be made at the time of application.
The Annual Subscription shall be:- Single £10.00
Joint £12.00
Overseas £15.00
(Joint - husband and wife or two members from the same family, or bona fide partners from the same address - each having full voting rights)
A Junior Membership for children under 17 shall be 50p but will have no voting powers.
Subscriptions to run from 1 January to 31 December each year & are payable on January 1
A member who is more than 3 months in arrears shall, ipso facto, shall cease to be member of the Club and shall have their names erased from the Register and shall be required to make a new application on the appropriate form to rejoin. Only fully paid up members may vote at the AGM or receive election ballot papers.
The Annual Subscription shall be such amount as is recommended, by the Executive Committee and agreed by the members in General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club.
A member joining in or after October shall be entitled to membership until the end of the following year, without payment of further subscription.
For Members preference in Field Trial draws, the owner must be a fully paid up member for a minimum period of twelve months prior to the date of the Trial.
4. Club Accounts
A Banking Account shall be held in the name of the Club, to be operated on by the Treasurer, together with either the Chairman or Secretary.
The Financial Year shall be from 1 January to 31 December.
The Club's accounts shall be certified by either one Qualified Accountant or two unqualified individuals with accounting experience nominated annually by the Executive Committee and approved by the members at the Annual General Meeting. Full details of the nominee(s) shall be published with the Agenda for the Annual General Meeting.
5. Officers of the Club
i. The Officers of the Club shall consist of:
President
Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Field Trial Secretary
who shall all retire annually but may offer themselves for re-election. No proposer or seconder shall be required where the officer offers himself for re-election. The office of Vice President (s) and Honorary Life Membership shall be nominated by the Executive Committee, and ratified at the AGM. Such Officer (s) are not ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.
ii. The officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, Maintenance of Title Fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for the continuance of registration and that by 31 July each year other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulation for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities, will be forward to the Kennel Club.
The officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.
6. Members of Committee
There shall be 12 members appointed as under Rule 7, to serve on the Executive Committee for a period of two years. Six members to retire annually, but may offer themselves for re-election, no proposer or seconder shall be .required where the member offers himself for re-election.
7. Election of Officers and Committee
Nominations for Officers and for Committee must be made in writing, duly proposed and seconded, with the consent of the nominee to serve established, and forwarded to the Secretary, to be received not less than 21 days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
A postal ballot shall be conducted of all members, papers to be sent at least 14 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. Ballot papers shall be counted in the presence of the Meeting by tellers appointed from the floor. In the event of an equal number of votes being cast for any office or place on the Committee, the result shall be decided by a show of hands of all those present at the Annual General Meeting.
No proxy votes shall be allowed and voting shall be by secret ballot, where specified, or by show of hands at a meeting if so decided by consensus. Unless otherwise specified the result of any voting will be determined by simple majority.
People wishing to serve as officers and Committee cannot hold a similar position on another Golden Retriever Breed Club. Also they must be fully paid up Members of the Society for at least one year.
The position of Vice Presidents are duly proposed by the Committee with the proviso that they are ratified annually by the Members at the AGM.
The positron of Honorary Life Members are duly proposed by the Committee with the proviso that they are ratified by the Members at the AGM.
The Executive Committee at its first meeting after the AGM shall elect a Vice-Chairman from within its number, the election being by a secret ballot if more than one nomination is received.
8. Management of the Club
The Management of the Club shall be conducted by an Executive Committee consisting of the Chairman of the Club, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Field Trial Secretary and 12 members of Committee as laid down in Rule 6.
The Secretary, Treasurer and Field Trial Secretary shall have full voting power.
In the event of equality of votes, the Chairman shall have the casting vote.
The Executive Committee shall have the power to deal with all matters not provided for by the Rules.
9. Appointment of Sub-Committees
The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint such sub-committees as they deem necessary and to delegate such powers of the Executive Committee to sub-committees so formed, as the Executive Committee shall decide, but shall be fully responsible to them.
One Officer and two Committee Members shall be members of all sub-committees.
10. Casual Vacancy Among Officers and Committee
In the event of a vacancy occurring between elections within the officers of the Club, the Executive Committee shall appoint someone in an acting capacity until the next Annual General Meeting. In the event of a vacancy or vacancies occurring among the committee members, the Executive Committee shall co-opt a person or persons to fill the vacancy or vacancies from any of the counties designated in Rule 6 until the Annual General Meeting when if such co-opted member or members are eligible to become members of the committee within the definition of Rule 6 they must be proposed and seconded.
11. Co-Option to Committee
The Executive Committee may co-opt not more than one member to the Executive Committee for a specific purpose. The co-opted member may not have voting powers other than to do with the subject for which he has been co-opted.
The co-option shall last only until such time as the function or purpose for which he was co-opted is complete.
12. Meetings
i. Committee Meetings: Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held when necessary but not less than 3 times annually. Committee Members are expected to attend a minimum of 75% of meetings in a calendar year.
Notice of such meetings shall be sent to all members of the Executive Committee not less than 35 days prior to the event. An agenda of the Meetings to be sent to the Members of the Executive committee not less than 14 days prior to the event.
The Secretary shall in all cases be responsible for calling meetings and shall liaise with the Chairman whenever possible on all matters.
A quorum for a committee shall be 50% of whole committee including officers.
ii. Annual General Meetings: The Annual General Meeting shall be held as soon as possible after the end of the financial year for the purpose of: receiving the Club's Annual Report, receiving the Club's Balance Sheet, receiving the Result of the Annual Elections and to discuss any Resolutions duly replaced on the Agenda.
Notice convening the Annual General Meeting to be printed in the Canine Press i.e. Dog World and Our Dogs, or in the Club' a Spring Newsletter or posted on the Clubs Website not less than 35 days before the date of the meeting. The Agenda, Balance Sheet and Ballot Papers (if necessary) shall be sent to all members not less the 14 days before the date of the Meeting.
Balance sheet to be published on the Clubs website and available upon request from the Treasurer. Copies to be available at the AGM.
A quorum for an Annual General meeting shall be 12 including Officers.
iii. Special General Meeting: A Special General Meeting may be convened at any time for any special purpose, either by the Executive Committee or by being called upon to do so by not less than 15 ordinary members, by handing to the Secretary a written requisition, duly signed. Such meetings to be held within 28 days of the receipt of the requisition and a notice convening the Meeting and Agenda of the meeting to be sent to all members not less than 21 days before the date of the meeting. No matter other than that specified on the Agenda may be discussed at a Special General Meeting.
13. Society Property
The property of the Club shall be vested in the Executive Committee and in the event of the club ceasing to exist for any reason, any assets, cups, trophies or equipment shall be disposed of in a manner at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
Cups and trophies donated to the Club shall be deemed do be outright gifts to the club and the donor shall be asked to sign a release to this effect.
On completion of the winding up of the Club a copy of the final audited accounts together with a record of the disposal of the property of the club, shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Club on the last return furnished to the Kennel Club shall be held responsible to the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.
14. Legal Costs
Officers and members of the Executive Committee shall be indemnified by the Club against any legal claims against them in connection with the proper discharge of their duties.
15. Code of Ethics
All Members undertake to abide by the Code of Ethics of the Club
16. Expulsion of Members
Any member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42j (4) and/or disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42 j (8) shall, ipso facto, cease to be a member of the Club for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification.
If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Club, be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Club, the committee of the Club may, at a meeting, the notice convening which includes as an object, the consideration of the conduct of the member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Society shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her.
Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused member, giving particulars of the complaint, and advising the place, date and hour of the Meeting, that he/she may attend and offer an explanation. If, at the Meeting, a resolution to expel is passed by two thirds majority of the members present and voting, his /her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of Members, and he /she shall thereupon cease for all purposes to be a Member of the Society except that he/she may, within two calendar months from the date of such Meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such condition as the Kennel Club may impose.
17. Complaints Procedure
i The Complaint must be in writing and the complainant must be identified.
ii Before the Committee deliberate on the complaint, the person who is the subject of the complaint must be notified of the complaint and given copies of all documentation relating to the said complaint and be given the opportunity of putting their case to the Committee.
iii The Committee must ensure that the complaint is one with which they have the authority to deal.
18. Alteration of Rules
None of the foregoing Rules shall be altered or new Rule adopted except at an Annual General Meeting, and any notice of addition or change must be shown on the Agenda of that meeting and circulated to all members not less than 14 days before the date of the Meeting.
19. Exclusion from Serving as Committee Member or Executive Officer
No person, whilst an undischarged bankrupt, may serve on the Committee of or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.
20. Final Court of Appeal
The Kennel Club shall be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute.
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