NORTHERN TASMANIAN CAVY CLUB INC. CONSTITUTION Revised December 2014 – Revised 23rd October 2016
NAME The name of this club shall be “Northern Tasmanian Cavy Club Inc.”
OBJECTIVES The objectives of this club shall be:
To promote and encourage the breeding and improvement of cavies To protect the interests of breeders and exhibitors. To create interest in the exchange of knowledge gained and the fostering of friendship and goodwill between kindred bodies. To encourage good husbandry in the keeping of all cavies. To hold shows for the examination and exhibition of cavies by qualified judges recognized by the Australian National Cavy Council. To foster the interest of new and junior members to develop their understanding of the breeding and exhibition of cavies.
MEMBERSHIP A fixed date where memberships will be renewed on the 1st January and end on the 31st December this is an annual membership.
Classes of memberships Family: 2 adults and all children from the same family under 17 years Senior: 17 and older Junior: 16 and under Associates: Entitled to newsletters but without a voting right or insurance.
If the renewal of the annually membership fee of the club is not paid by the Annual General Meeting the member or members will be considered un-financial. Membership entitles a financial member to a club newsletter when issued. Membership rates will be decided at the Annual General Meeting. Prospective members must fill out and sign a Northern Tasmanian Cavy Club Inc. membership form which includes a copy of the Rules and Conditions, the Code of Animal Ethics and the Code of Conduct. See attachments A, B and C. Membership applications to the club are accepted at the discretion of the committee. All existing members and new members will be provided with a copy of the Northern Tasmanian Cavy Club Inc. Constitution, the Code of Conduct, the Code of Animal Ethics and the Rules and Conditions. Memberships payed after the 1st October will carry onto the next year. If any financial member of the club is found to be not operating within the guidelines of this Constitution, the Code of Conduct, the Code of Animal Ethics or the Rules and Conditions, the committee shall discuss this matter with the member involved. Should the member still fail to comply, the committee will have the right to suspend or expel the member from the club. Life Membership may be awarded at the discretion of the committee. A proposal for a Life Membership must be made in writing to the committee. The Life Member must have had 10 consecutive year’s membership and have held a position on the committee. Only one Life Membership can be granted in a calendar year.
FINANCES OF THE CLUB All accounts for payments and all disbursements other than petty cash shall be made by crossed cheque or bank transfer which shall be signed by any two of the president, treasurer and secretary. Except where any two of these positions are filled by members residing at the same address or are members of the same family, in such a situation one of the signatures must be that of a person not residing at the same address and not a member of the same family.
The financial year of the Northern Tasmanian Cavy Club Inc. shall be from the 1st January to 31st December each year. Financial reports are to be available at the Annual General Meeting. All funds raised by the club are to be paid into the clubs bank account, or used for the payment of club expenses approved by the committee.
OFFICE BEARERS AND THEIR DUTIES The Executive Committee will consist of the following positions:
PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT SECRETARY/LIBRARY TREASURER SHOW COORDINATOR/RECORDS KEEPER CHIEF STEWARD CAVY COUNCIL OF TASMANIA REPRESENTATIVES
To hold a position on the executive committee the member needs to have been an active club member for 24 months and held a position on the committee for 12 months.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
PRESIDENT
The president shall act as administrative head of the club and generally preside over the meetings of the club and committee. The president is responsible for ensuring that club meetings are held when necessary to discuss and conduct the operational and legal requirements of the club.
VICE PRESIDENT
The vice president shall assist the president in the fulfilment of their duties and shall preside at meetings where the president is absent.
SECRETARY
The secretary is the custodian of all the minutes of all the meetings of the club and the committee and is responsible for the accepting and issuing of correspondence on behalf of the club and for the notification of members of any general or special meetings. The secretary is responsible for promptly bringing to the attention of the committee any matters arising from correspondence or other form of communication that requires immediate attention. The secretary is responsible for the processing of memberships. The secretary will look after the library collection and preserve a hardcopy of each issue of the Cavy Chatter newsletter. The library collection is to be made available on the request from members.
TREASURER
The treasurer is responsible for the receipt of all money due to the club, disperse all payments authorized by the committee and keep accurate accounts records of all transactions. A statement of the current financial status of the club shall be presented at each committee meeting. At the annual general meeting a statement of income and expenditure shall be presented to the attendees for the whole of the previous year.
SHOW COORDINATOR/RECORD KEEPER
The show coordinator/record keeper is responsible for the organising of club shows/exhibitions and as such is able to delegate work when necessary to volunteers at any club shows and must receive all entries and entry money payable to the club. The show coordinator/record keeper shall pass onto the treasurer these monies for depositing into the clubs bank account. The show coordinator/record keeper is also to receive in writing any complaints or concerns regarding club shows/exhibitions and to present same to the committee for discussion and reply. The show secretary/record keeper will be responsible for the keeping of the show records.
CHIEF STEWARD
The chief steward is responsible for the efficient ushering of cavies to the judging table at club shows/exhibitions. They are responsible for the accurate recording of all results at club shows/exhibitions and to ensure the appropriate and acceptable behaviour of visitors, exhibitors and judges at the judging table.
CAVY COUNCIL OF TASMANIA REPRESENTATIVES
Two delegates will be nominated annually for the Cavy Council of Tasmania to represent the Northern Tasmanian Cavy Club Inc. These delegates will be elected from the executive committee positions.
The General Committee will consist of the following positions:
Being an elected member of the committee requires attendance to the majority of meetings.
PROMOTIONS/SPONSORSHIP AND WEBSITE EDITOR ASSISTANT STEWARD CANTEEN MANAGER SHOP MANGER RAFFLE TABLE MANAGER PHOTOGRAPHER PET SECTION COORDINATOR
PROMOTIONS/SPONSORSHIP AND WEBSITE COORDINATOR
The promotions/sponsorship and website coordinator is responsible for the distribution of information to the general public to promote the objectives of the club by advertising events and exhibitions. They are responsible for actively pursuing sponsorship for the club. They will also be the caretaker for the club website by ensuring the details are correct and up to date.
EDITOR
The editor shall provide a monthly newsletter called “CAVY CHATTER” The newsletter shall be the official correspondence to the members of the club. This will include dates of shows, information on club events and meetings and the results of a show if required.
If any of the office bearers are unable to adequately carry out the duties of their position, the committee by majority vote shall declare the position vacant.
VACANCY If an office bearer resigns a letter of resignation is required to be sent to the secretary with two (2) weeks’ notice given. If an office bearer is removed from their position by the committee, that position is declared vacant. All members will be notified via newsletter that the position is vacant and will call for nominations. The committee can fill the vacant position by majority vote, from nominations received by the secretary, at the next committee meeting.
FUNCTIONS AND SHOWS (a) Judging at club shows shall be in accordance with the standards set out in the Australian National Cavy Council “Book of Standards”. (b) The Northern Tasmanian Cavy Club Inc. Code of Conduct, Rules and Conditions and Code of Animal Ethics apply to all shows and exhibitions. (c) All shows/exhibitions are to be open to the public. (d) Any functions/exhibitions organised or attended by Northern Tasmanian Cavy Club Inc. club members, representing the club, need to be approved by the committee.
MEETINGS Committee meetings to be held as and when required to arrange shows and exhibitions. The quorum for such meetings shall be three (3) members. All committee members are to be notified of the date of the meeting by both email and social media. General meetings may be called at the discretion of the committee and all members will be notified by email, newsletter or social media. The Annual General Meeting will be held each January, at an appointed date before the first show of the calendar year. All committee members will stand down at the Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for re-election. Nominations to be accepted at the Annual General Meeting. Correspondence including nominations, agenda items and constitution changes are to be sent to the secretary twenty one (21) days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The quorum for an Annual General Meeting shall be three (3) club members. There will be no proxy voting. All voting will be done at the Annual General Meeting by financial members present. Each Senior membership will be entitled one vote. Each Family membership will be entitled one vote. Junior memberships of 16 years and under are not entitled a vote.
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS The Committee may convene a Special General Meeting of the Club at any time. The Committee, on the requisition in writing of at least three (3) members, may convene a special general meeting of the club. A requisition for a special general meeting: is to state the objects of the meeting; and is to be signed by the requisitionists; and is to be deposited at the office of the Association; and may consist of several documents, each signed by one or more of the requisitionists. If the committee does not cause a special general meeting to be held within 21 days from the day on which a requisition is deposited at the office of the Association, the requisitionists, or any of them, may convene the meeting within 3 months from the day of the deposit of the requisition.
SUSPENSION, EXPULSION AND APPEALS PROCEDURES The committee may suspend or expel a member from the club if, in the opinion of the committee, the member is guilty of conduct detrimental to the interests of the club. This includes breaches of the Code of Conduct, Show Rules and Conditions and Code of Animal Ethics. If the committee suspends or expels a member from the club, the secretary, without undue delay, is to serve on the member a notice in writing – stating that the committee has suspended or expelled the member; and specifying the grounds for the suspension or expulsion; and informing the member of the right to appeal against the suspension or expulsion under rule 33 of the model rules. The suspension or expulsion of a member does not take effect until the following: the fourteenth day after the day on which a notice is served on the member if the member exercises his or her right of appeal under this rule, the conclusion of the special general meeting convened to hear the appeal. A member may appeal against a suspension or expulsion under rule 33 of the model rules by writing to the secretary of the club within 14 days after the service of a notice.
CLUB PROPERTY Any items purchased with club monies shall remain the property of the club until the committee give permission for an item to be sold. Committee and club members who hold club property should take all due care to return the items in good condition.
Perpetual trophies are the property of the club by donation of a member. They will be awarded annually at the AGM. Members need to return all perpetual trophies to the show coordinator/record keeper by the Christmas Show each year. Once a perpetual trophy is full it is to be kept with the Library collection. CONSTITUTION AMENDMENTS This constitution having now been approved can only be replaced or amended by a two-third vote of members at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting. Notice of such appeal or amendment shall be made in writing and signed by at least three (3) financial members and will be presented to the Secretary in sufficient time to allow one (1) months notice to members before the relevant meeting.
Attachments A – Code of Conduct B – Rules and Conditions C – Code of Animal Ethics