– Constitution of the Merseyside Gundog Club

1. NAME AND OBJECTS

The Club shall be called “THE MERSEYSIDE GUNDOG CLUB” and it’s objects shall be the promotion of Dog Shows, Field Trials, Lectures and Demonstrations, etc, for all Breeds of Gundogs. Also to carry out any acts or projects which will encourage and improve social relationships of all Gundog Breeds.

2. CONSTITUTION AND MANAGEMENT

2.1 The Management of the Club shall be vested in the Officers and Committee, and the Club shall consist of a Patron, Officers, to include President, Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, a Committee of not more than 18 (including a Vice Chairman), Past Presidents, Honorary Life Members and an unlimited number of Members, Ringcraft Members and Life Members

2.2 The position of President shall be balloted for at the Annual General Meeting. He or she may serve a term of up to 5 years, after which that person is then eligible to seek re-election for one further 5-year term. If a minimum of 5 years has been served, the President may become a Past President. The President and Past Presidents will be ex officio Members of the Committee with full voting rights. Any person nominated for the post of President must have been a Member of the Committee or an Officer for a total of 5 years.

2.3 The Chairman, Vice Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall retire annually and be balloted for at the Annual General Meeting. Any person proposed for any of these positions must have been a Member for at least the last 5 full years and have been on the Committee for the last 12 months. All the above shall be entitled to vote at all Meetings. The Chairman shall have the casting vote.

2.4 The Committee shall be balloted for at the Annual General Meeting, notice of which is announced by means of “Our Dogs” and “Dog World”, by post or by electronic means, at the discretion of the Officers, 6 weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting. These nominations to be duly proposed and seconded in writing by fully paid up members of the Club, who have been members for a minimum of 12 months, and counter-signed by the Nominee that they are willing to stand for election. Any person proposed for a position on the Committee must have been a member of the Club for at least the last 2 full years. The Committee shall have the power to deal with any questions which may arise and are not provided for in these Rules.

2.5 One third of the Committee shall retire annually and be eligible for re-election for a further term of 3 years should they so wish, and provided they indicate their willingness to do so in writing by the appropriate date.

The six people with the highest votes in any ballot for the Committee at the Annual General Meeting will fill these three year vacancies. Any additional vacancies which may have arisen for periods of less than three years may then be filled, in descending order, by those individuals gaining the next highest numbers of votes at the Annual General Meeting.
2.6 Any Officer or Committee Member who misses three meetings within one year without apology will be deemed to have resigned from the Committee and will not be eligible for re-election to the Committee at the next point of re-election.

2.7 At the Annual General Meeting, a Vice Chairman, Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, Show Manager, Chief Steward and Cup Steward will be elected. If for any reason the Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer are unable to fulfill their duties, these will be undertaken by their corresponding deputies during the term of their incapacity, or until the next Annual General Meeting.

2.8 All matters of business appertaining to the Annual General Meeting Agenda shall be by ballot at the discretion of the Chairman, with two tellers to be appointed by the Chairman. There will be no proxy or postal votes allowed.

2.9 A quorum for the purposes of the Committee will comprise one third of those eligible to attend at any one time, one of which must be an Officer.

2.10 The Committee may at any time appoint a Sub-Committee of any number of Club Members for the purposes of discussing a specific item. The Sub-Committee must report back to the Committee, whose decision it is to accept or otherwise, the recommendations of that Sub-Committee.

2.11 No Junior Members (i.e. under 16 years of age), or Ringcraft Members (i.e. those attending Ringcraft Classes only), may stand for office, bearer or Committee or be entitled to full voting rights.

2.12 No person, whilst an undischarged bankrupt, may serve on the Committee or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.

3. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND VOTING RIGHTS

3.1 The annual subscription shall be an amount decided from time to time at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting. There will be annual subscription rates for Single Membership, Joint Membership (consisting of 2), Junior Membership (up to 16 years of age), and Ringcraft Membership (for those attending ringcraft classes only), which shall run from January to December. The subscription rates for Life Membership shall be ten times the amount in force at any particular time for Single and Joint Membership. Life Membership does not apply to Junior Membership or Ringcraft Membership.

3.2 Candidates for Membership of the Club shall be accepted upon request and upon payment of the appropriate membership fee to the Treasurer. Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership. In the case of a Joint Membership, both partners to have a vote.

3.3 No Member whose subscription is unpaid shall be entitled to any of the priviledges of Membership.

3.4 Payment of subscriptions to be suspended 14 days prior to the Annual General Meeting and until after its conclusion.

4. CLUB ACCOUNTS

4.1 The Honorary Treasurer shall keep full and proper accounts and shall prepare annually a statement of accounts which shall be audited by an approved Auditor(s) appointed annually by the Committee for this purpose and in line with Kennel Club guidelines prevailing at the time. Copies of the audited accounts will be available to Members on request 14 days prior to the Annual General Meeting and will additionally be distributed at the Annual General Meeting.”

4.2 The financial year of the Club shall be from 1st January to 31st December.

4.3 Banking accounts shall be opened as necessary in the name of the Club, signatories to be two of the following: President, Chairman, Honorary Treasurer or Honorary Secretary, with the proviso that no two people from the same household may be the two authorised signatories on any one cheque.

5. CLUB PROPERTY

5.1 The property of the Club shall be vested in the Officers and Committee and in the event of the Club ceasing to exist, a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of any assets, including trophies.

5.2 If the Club is wound up or ceases to be a Registered Club under these regulations, a final statement of audited accounts, with a record of the disposal of the property of the Club shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within 6 months and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Club on the last return furnished to the Kennel Club will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.

6. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

A Special General Meeting will be called by the Honorary Secretary if 20 Members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed, or at the discretion of the Committee. No business other than that detailed on the Agenda can be discussed at a Special General Meeting. Notice of a Special General Meeting to be by publication in “Dog World” and “Our Dogs”.

7. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

7.1 Any Member who shall be disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A11.j(5) and/or Kennel Club Rule A11.j(9) shall ipso fact cease to be a Member of the Society.

If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Society, be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Society, the Committee of the Society 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 a 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 conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.

7.2 If the Society expels any Member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions, the Society must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars required.

8. GENERAL BUSINESS

8.1 The Annual General Meeting shall be held by 31st March each year for the following purposes :-

8.1.1 To receive the report of the Officers and the Balance Sheet.

8.1.2 To elect Officers and Committee, and discuss any resolutions duly placed on the Agenda of which prior notice has been given to the Secretary.

8.1.3 No business shall be transacted at an Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the Agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those which, in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting, are urgent.

8.2 All proposals for items for inclusion on the Agenda must be made in writing, properly proposed and seconded by fully paid up Members, and must be handed to the Honorary Secretary at least 14 days before the Annual General Meeting.

8.3 The Agenda for the Annual General Meeting will be circulated at the Meeting.

8.4 The Rules of the Club may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, the notice for which includes details of the proposals to alter the Rules. Such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and has given is approval to the alterations. New Rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately and be included in the Society’s Constitution with effect from the Society’s Annual Meeting.

8.5 The Club must make a list of Members and their addresses available for inspection if so required by the Members of the Club or by the Kennel Club.

8.6 The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Honorary Secretary for continuance of registration, and that by 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities, will be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The list of Members names and address must be sent to the Kennel Club alongwith the Annual Returns.

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.

8.7 The Committee have the power to co-opt new Member(s)/Officers(s) should the need arise at any time until the next Annual General Meeting of the Club when fresh elections take place.

8.8 A true and accurate record of all Meetings shall be kept by the Honorary Secretary. These shall be available to Members upon reasonable request, acceptable to the Committee.

8.9 The Kennel Club shall be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute.

8.10 The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.

8.11 Officers and Committee Members of the Club may not exhibit or handle at any of the Club’s Shows. Statements to this effect should appear in all schedules and catalogues of the Club.

8.12 The audited accounts, together with all relevant documentation shall be kept by the Club/Treasurer for a minimum of seven years.

July 2015