THE RULES
OF THE
ABYSSINIAN CAT CLUB
RULES OF THE ABYSSINIAN CAT CLUB
1 NAME
The Club shall be called THE ABYSSINIAN CAT CLUB. Hereafter referred to in the rules as ‘the Club’.
2 OBJECTS
a) To promote the pure breeding of Abyssinian Cats
b) To elect representatives to the Abyssinian Breed Advisory Committee
c) To improve the classification of and, if necessary, to guarantee classes for Abyssinian cats at shows supported by the Club
d) To provide members with advice on the breeding and welfare of Abyssinian Cats
3 CONSTITUTION
a) The Club shall consist of President, Vice President(s), Chairman, Vice Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Cup Secretary and an unlimited number of Members who shall be persons interested in Abyssinian cats
b) The property, finance and management of the Club shall be vested in the Committee
c) The Club will take all reasonable precautions to protect the well-being of Members and their property when attending Meetings arranged by the Club. Nevertheless the Club cannot be held responsible for any injury or loss, howsoever sustained, at such meetings.
4 ELECTION OF OFFICERS
a) Nominations for Chairman, duly proposed and seconded and with the nominee's agreement in writing, shall be submitted six weeks prior to the AGM to the Hon. Secretary for election by the Committee. The name of the Member thus elected shall be submitted for approval by Members at the next AGM. The Chairman to remain in office for three years and to be eligible for a second period of three years after which he/she shall not be eligible for immediate re-election
b) President and Vice President(s) shall be nominated and elected by the Committee and the name(s) submitted for approval by Members at the next AGM
c) The Vice Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Cup Secretary shall be nominated and elected by the Committee to remain in office for three years and to be eligible for immediate re-election.
d) During the duration of appointment as Hon. Cup Secretary the Officer shall not hold the same appointment with another Club
e) Candidates for Officer positions shall have been full Members of the Club for no less than three consecutive years.
5 ELECTION OF COMMITTEE
a) The Committee to consist of nine members of whom three shall retire annually and remain eligible for re-election
b) In the event of any Member(s) retiring during their period of office, the vacancy(ies) shall be filled by election as embodied in this rule for the unexpired period
c) Nominations for the Committee, duly proposed and seconded and with the nominees agreement in writing shall be submitted to the Hon. Secretary in time to circularise such nominations to all members at least six weeks prior to the AGM. A postal vote to be returned to the Scrutineer, nominated by the Committee, and who shall not be a member of the Club, four weeks prior to the AGM and a certificate of scrutiny to be presented to the AGM
d) Candidates for Committee shall have been full Members of the Club for no less than two consecutive years
6 ELECTION OF MEMBERS
a) Application for membership shall be submitted in writing to The Hon. Membership Secretary with the signature of two Members of the Club as proposer and seconder. Election shall be by a majority vote of the Committee at the first meeting held after receipt of the application. However, the Committee reserve the right to refuse membership. The Hon. Membership Secretary to send each newly elected Member notice of their election with a copy of the Rules
b) An application received, together with the correct entry fee and first subscription, up to and including the closing date of entry for any show, entitles the applicant to enter Club classes at the Show. If the application is approved by the Committee at their next meeting, the member shall be eligible for any Club prize(s) they have been awarded. If the Committee decline membership the applicant will return any Club awards made and forfeit the Club entry money. A person shall be a Member of the Abyssinian Cat Club for a minimum of twelve months before the Club countersigns GCCF Prefix Application forms
c) Honorary membership may be granted by the Committee, subject to the understanding and acceptance in writing by the prospective member, that each Honorary Member shall be entitled to the same privileges available to paying Members except that they shall not have the right to vote and are not eligible for nomination for the Committee or as an Officer of the Club
d) Any Member, including Honorary Members, suspended under the Constitution of the Governing
Council of the Cat Fancy and wishing to rejoin, after expiration of the suspension, may apply to the Club Committee for re-election
7 ELECTION OF DELEGATES
a) Nomination from Committee Members of at least one year’s standing shall be proposed and seconded and put forward for election at the AGM
b) Assistance towards out of pocket expenses incurred by Delegates on GCCF business may be met from Club funds
8 THE HON. SECRETARY
The Hon. Secretary shall
a) Conduct the correspondence of the Club
b) Record the names and addresses of all Members in a book, which shall be available to Members at all reasonable times, and to make corrections as these arise
c) Give in writing to each Member and Honorary Member fourteen days notice of Annual and Special General meetings, together with a copy of the agenda. Seven days notice to be given for Committee meetings.
d) Keep Minutes of the proceedings of all General and Committee meetings, which shall be read at the following General or Committee meeting as the case may be, and submitted for confirmation by vote.
e) Submit an annual report to the AGM
f) Perform any other duties required by these Rules or requested by the Committee
9 THE HON. TREASURER
The Hon. Treasurer shall
a) Hold all monies received on behalf of the Club
b) Deposit all monies in the Club’s current Bank Deposit or other approved account
c) Defray from the funds of the Club all expenses incurred or authorised by the Committee on behalf of the Club
d) Present to the Committee a report and audited balance sheet showing the Statement of Accounts at 31st December and after approval by the Committee these shall be sent to each member
10 POWERS OF COMMITTEE
Whereas no member of the Committee shall be personally liable for any loss or damage except that arising from his/her gross negligence or fraud, the Committee shall have power to
a) Co-opt a Member(s) of the Club to fill any vacancy(ies) within the Committee or amongst the Officers until such vacancy(ies) can be filled by standard election procedure at the next AGM (see Rules 4 and 5). Co-opt, without the right of vote, a Member(s) who may be required to provide specialised knowledge or assistance
b) Delegate any special work required to a sub-committee on which at least one elected Officer and two elected Committee Members must be included
c) Investigate circumstances which are alleged to contravene the duties and responsibilities of Officers and Members and suspend or expel any Officer or Member of the Club according to procedure in Rule 11(c)
d) Ask for the resignation of any Officer or Committee Member who fails to attend three consecutive Committee Meetings.
e) Support Abyssinian Cat Club classes at Cat Shows
f) Deal with any matter not provided for by the Rules
11 DUTIES OF MEMBERS
a) Every Member shall strive to promote honourable dealing in feline matters by bringing to the notice of the Committee any irregularities at Cat Shows or elsewhere
b) Any complaint or request by any Member of the Club shall be made in writing to the Hon. Secretary, who must lay such communication before the Committee as soon as possible
c) Any Member violating the Rules of the Club or whose conduct, in the opinion of the Committee, has been prejudicial to the welfare, breeding or exhibiting of cats, or likely to prove injurious to the character, reputation or interest of the Club, may be suspended or expelled provided that:-
(i) The Hon. Secretary has given to each Member of the Committee and to the Member of the Club concerned notice in writing of the allegation, not less than seven days before the date of a meeting at which the Member concerned shall have the opportunity of being heard and of calling witnesses.
(ii) The Member concerned shall have the right of appeal to a Special General Meeting of the Club, at which he/she shall attend and state his/her case. Intention of appeal shall be notified in writing to the Hon. Secretary within seven days of the date of the hearing
(iii) Until the appeal (if lodged) is decided, all penalties imposed by the Committee shall be suspended. The Member concerned shall be re-instated if such appeal is allowed
12 FINANCE
a) The financial year of the Club shall end on the 31st December of each year, to which the date the account of the Club shall be balanced
b) Accounts to be examined by a suitably independent person elected by the AGM
c) Payments from Club funds in excess of £50 shall be authorised by the signature of any two of the following Officers – Chairman, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Secretary. For smaller amounts any one signature is sufficient
d) Any Member or Honorary Member receiving money on behalf of the Club, unless authorised by these Rules or by the Committee to retain it, shall immediately hand it to the Hon. Treasurer
13 SUBSCRIPTIONS
a) The entrance fee and subscription shall be payable by each Member on election and annually thereafter on the 1st January of each year, except that a subscription paid on joining on or after the 1st November exempts the Member from paying a further subscription during the ensuing year
b) Any Member who has not paid the subscription will receive notice in writing to the last address recorded in the Club's Member’s list. Membership may be deemed to have lapsed and the right to vote and other privileges thereby forfeited if the subscription is not paid by the 31st January
14 TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
Any Member may withdraw from the Club on giving notice to the Hon. Secretary in writing. Such retiring Members shall have no claim whatsoever against the Club and shall be liable for the subscription in the current year of which such notice is given
15 GENERAL MEETING
a) A General Meeting of the Club shall be held at least once a year at such time and place as the Committee shall appoint. Fourteen days’ notice of this meeting shall be given to each member, together with a copy of the agenda, reports and balance sheet for the preceding year, which have been approved by the Committee. Twenty one Members of the Club, including Officers and Committee, shall form a quorum
b) A Special Meeting of the Club shall be held whenever the Committee think expedient or whenever twenty Club Members apply individually, in writing to the Hon. Secretary specifying the exact business for which the meeting is required. Fourteen days notice of this meeting shall be given to each Member, together with a copy of the agenda. Thirty Members of the Club in addition to Officers and Committee shall form a quorum.
16 COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Officers and Committee shall meet at least four times a year. Seven days notice shall be given to each Member together with a copy of the agenda. Nine shall form a quorum
17 VOTING
a) At all meetings each Member present shall have one vote and all questions arising in the Club or its Committee or any sub-Committee shall be decided by a majority vote unless stated elsewhere in these Rules. When the votes are equal the then presiding Officer shall have an additional and casting vote
b) Voting by proxy shall not be admissible
c) On points of order the then presiding Officer’s decision shall be final
18 ALTERATION OF RULES
a) Any alteration or addition to these Rules shall be confirmed by a two thirds majority of the Members attending the AGM or the Special General Meeting called for the purpose, provided that a statement setting out in detail the alteration proposed, or setting out a full copy of the Rules as they would appear after such alteration has been made is contained in the agenda, or is sent out with the notice convening the meeting.
b) The Chairman may accept and put to the meeting, without previous notice, any amendment which seeks to alter the working of the proposed resolution without materially altering the main object thereof. Otherwise no amendment to a proposition of which notice has been given as in (a) shall be accepted unless notice setting out the amendment in detail shall have been received by the Hon. Secretary not later than the day before the meeting. In the event of amendments as in this paragraph (b), a two thirds majority vote shall be required from members attending the meeting.
19 DISSOLUTION OF THE CLUB
a) Fourteen days’ notice in writing of any proposal to wind up the Club shall be given to all Members, together with a voting paper, a Special General Meeting shall be called to consider such a proposal
b) The motion to dissolve the Club must be approved by two thirds of the votes cast.
c) If the motion is passed the disposal of Club funds and other properties will be dealt with in the normal manner by taking proposals from Members attending the meeting and accepting the result of each motion according to a majority vote
d) A notice in writing stating in detail how the Club’s assets are to be dispersed shall be sent to every Member immediately after the meeting and no action shall be taken to implement the dissolution for 28 clear days after the date of the notice
e) After disposal of Club assets, following compliance with paragraphs (c) and (d) and payment of outstanding accounts, it is still the several responsibility of paid up Members to contribute equally to the liquidation of such debt or debts howsoever caused as may remain and for which the Club is
liable. If a credit balance remains after the disposal of Club assets and after all debts have been paid and when necessary a certificate(s) of clearance has been received from the debtor(s), this will be the subject of a final ballot and will be disposed of by means of a simple majority postal vote, addressed to the Chairman of the Committee authorised to wind up the Club affairs
20 AFFILIATION TO THE GCCF
a) The Club is affiliated to the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and by virtue of their historical association will be granted representation whatever the number of members may be
b) The Club recognises the Constitution of the GCCF
c) The Club accepts that the GCCF shall have disciplinary powers over the Club and its subscribing Members, according to the Constitution
d) The GCCF has the power to disaffiliate the Club through failure to conform to the Constitution or to any Rule made by the Council
e) A candidate cannot accept nomination for and cannot be a Delegate for more than one Club at a time. Except by permission of the GCCF no Delegate may serve on the Committee of any Club not affiliated to the GCCF nor act in any official capacity for such a Club
f) For election of Club Delegates see Rule 7
The Rules of the Abyssinian Cat Club approved at AGM 1976
Amended and updated AGM 1996 and AGM 2006
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