Club Rules
1. NAME
AND OBJECTS
The club shall be called the Eastern Counties Shetland Sheepdog Club and
its objects shall be to unite breed enthusiasts in East Anglia and
neighbouring counties, to encourage the responsible ownership and
breeding to the Kennel Club Standard of Shetland sheepdogs and to
advance the interests of the breed in shows and at other appropriate
activities.
2. OFFICERS
AND COMMITTEE
The Club shall consist of Patron, President, Chairman, Hon. Secretary,
Hon Treasurer, a committee of 12 and an unlimited number of members.
3. COMMITTEE
(a) The management of the club shall be in the hands of the Chairman,
Hon Secretary, Hon Treasurer, and a committee of 12 members. Any 6 to form a quorum of which 2 must be Officers of the Club. In the event of a committee member retiring for any reason, the
Committee shall have the power to co-opt a replacement for the period to
the next Annual General Meeting.
(b) The
Officers and Committee shall retire in rotation but shall be eligible
for re-election for a three-year period. If a retiring officer is not re-elected , he or she can, if
desired, be automatically nominated for election as a committee member. If any member of the committee fails to attend three meetings in
succession without prior notice to the Secretary, he or she shall cease
forthwith to be a member of the Committee.
(c) i 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. No
individual is eligible for election to the committee who has been a
member of the Club for less than 1 year.
ii No member of the Club shall be eligible for election as an
officer or Committee member who is an official of another club devoted
to the same breed.
(d) The
Committee shall have the power to deal with any matter not dealt with in
the Rules.
(e)
Meetings of the Committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary but
not less than three times a year. Not
less than 14 days notice shall be given of any meeting to be held.
(f) All
members shall be asked to put forward any names they may wish to suggest
and these, together with the names of the retiring Officers and
Committee, shall be voted for by ballot, only paid up adult Members of
the Club of the previous year up to 31st December being
eligible to vote. Permission
of the nominee to be obtained before submitting. All nominations to be received by the Secretary by 25th February.
(g) Ballot: Ballot papers shall be numbered seriatim, show the address of the President, and be posted to all members (except overseas members) not less than 3 clear weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting. In the event that there be fewer valid nominations than there are vacancies, or if there is only one valid nomination for a position, then such candidate(s) if duly qualified shall be declared elected unopposed. The Secretary shall record the number of ballot papers issued. Members shall record their vote by marking “X” against the name(s) of the candidates they wish to support and shall not vote for more candidates than there are vacancies. The allot papers shall be forwarded to the President at the address shown on the ballot paper in a sealed envelope provided endorsed ‘Ballot Paper’ to arrive not less than 3 clear days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The President shall retain the envelopes unopened and deliver them to the Annual General Meeting. These votes to be opened and counted by two Scrutineers, elected for that purpose by the AGM.
4. PRESIDENT
AND VICE PRESIDENTS
The President to be elected by all members at the Annual General Meeting
for a three year term of office and be eligible for re-election. The power to extend an invitation for a Vice President to be
vested in the Committee.
5. ELECTION
OF MEMBERS
Candidates
for membership shall be proposed by one fully paid up member and
seconded by another, all of whom will sign the proposal form. Acceptance will be by vote of the Committee (three negatives
shall exclude for which no reason need be given) and on payment of
subscription.
6. VOTING
RIGHTS
Each
Member shall be entitled to one vote after six calendar months
membership. Method of voting
shall be by secret ballot at the AGM (see Rule 3g). Voting by proxy shall not be permitted at any meeting. Where Joint Memberships are accepted, each partner shall have one
vote. Junior Members (up to
18 years) are not entitled to a vote.
7. CLUB
PROPERTY
The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, the Committee shall
dispose of all monies, trophies and other assets in a manner to benefit
the breed.
8. CLUB
ACCOUNTS
A banking Account shall be held in the name of the Club into which all
revenue of the Club shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only
be made on the signatures of two of the following: Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer. The ClubÂ’s Annual Statement of Accounts shall be certified by a
qualified Accountant or two unqualified individuals with accounting
experience.
No
expense shall be incurred by the ClubÂ’s officials or committee beyond
the ClubÂ’s funds. If any
cheque fails to be honoured by the bank, the person issuing it shall
also become liable for any bank charges incurred.
9. SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Annual Subscription shall be such amount as recommended by the
Committee and agreed by members in General Meeting and notified to the
Kennel Club.
Subscriptions
are due on 1 January each year. Members
joining after 30 September shall not be liable to pay their next
subscription until 1 January fifteen months later.
No
member shoes subscription is unpaid is entitled to any of the privileges
of Membership and if the Member shall fail to pay outstanding
subscriptions within 3 calendar months of their due date, his/her name
shall automatically be erased from the Register. Acceptance back on the Register will be dependant upon a new
application and payment of arrears
10. EXPULSION
OF MEMBERS
Any member who shall be suspended under kennel Club Rule A42(4) and/or
any member whose dog/s is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule
A42j(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 Society be injurious or likely to be injurious to the
character of interests of the Club, 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
Club 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 condition as the Kennel Club may impose.
11. FINANCIAL
YEAR/ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The
Financial Year of the Club to run from 1 January to the end of the
following December. The
Annual General Meeting shall be held before the end of March each year. Notification of the place, date and time of the Annual General
Meeting shall be given to all members either individually, or by a
notice in Dog World and Our Dogs at least 28 days previously.
12. GENERAL
MEETINGS
The Annual General Meeting shall receive reports from the officers,
including Annual Accounts, receive result of ballot for Officers and
Committee and discuss any resolutions which have been placed on the
Agenda and of which prior notice has been given to the Secretary and
seconded in writing at least 14 days prior to the date of the meeting. No business shall be transacted at the 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. The
Agenda to be available at the Meeting.
13. SPECIAL
GENERAL MEETING
A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Hon. Secretary if 20
members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed
and requesting a Special General Meeting to do so. The signed requisition must be lodged with the Hon. Secretary in
time to allow members to be given 14 days notice of the Meeting in
writing or by a notice in Our Dogs and Dog World. No business other than that detailed on the Agenda can be
discussed at a Special General Meeting has been called. The Committee of
the Society is empowered to call a Special General Meeting at its
discretion.
14. AMENDMENT
TO RULES
The Rules of the Club shall not be altered except at a General Meeting,
the Agenda for which contains specific proposals to amend the Rules. Any alteration to the Rules shall not be brought into effect
until the kennel Club has been advised and approved the alteration. A two thirds majority of the members present and voting shall be
necessary to pass any amendment. If
passed, further amendment of the same rule cannot be proposed until the
AGM after next.
15. ANNUAL
RETURNS TO THE KENNEL CLUB
The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year,
Maintenance of the 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 the Kennel Club Regulations for
the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed
Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal
Authorities be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel
Club of any changes of Secretary of the Society which may occur during
the course of the year.
16. KENNEL
CLUB FINAL COURT OF APPEAL
The Kennel
Club shall be the final Court of Appeal in all matters of dispute.
17. The
Club shall not join an Federation of Societies or Clubs.
18. The
Club will make a list of Members and their addresses available for
inspection if so requested by the members of the Club or by the Kennel
Club.
19. JUDGES
The
Secretary shall keep a list of judges willing to officiate at shows
(hereinafter called “the List”). The committee shall be empowered to remove any names from the
list if, in their opinion, it is no longer desirable that the name shall
be included.
Any member
of the Club may at any time nominate a person for inclusion in the list. The nomination shall be made by letter to the Secretary,
supported by the consent in writing of the nominee. The Secretary shall, as soon as practicable, lay the nomination
before the Committee and the Committee having considered the experience
and capability of the nominee, shall either reject the nomination or
approve it and direct that the name of the nominee be added to the list. The Secretary shall comply with any such direction forthwith. A new list will be produced and presented at each AGM and will be
available on request.
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