Club Constitution

GREAT LAKES HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE CLUB INCORPORATED

CLUB CONSTITUTION

Last amended December 2022

GREAT LAKES HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE CLUB CONSTITUTION
The Club is governed and run under this constitution and associated Bye-Laws

1. NAME:

(a) The name of the club shall be “Great Lakes Historic Automobile Club”, hereinafter referred to as ‘The Club’.
In the interpretation of this document the following definitions apply:
2 DEFINITIONS
(a) VEHICLE: Any self-propelled road vehicle, when built new, intended primarily for the transport of persons and/or goods
(b) VETERAN: Built up to and including 31.12.1910 VINTAGE: Built between 1.1.1919 and 31.12.1930 POST VINTAGE: Built between 1.1.1931 and 31.12.1942
ANTIQUE: A vehicle from any of the above three categories POST-WAR: Built between 1.1.1943 and the Roads and Traffic Authority “Cut-Off” date
HISTORIC: May also refer to a vehicle in the Post-War category.

(c) (i) The accounting financial year of The Club shall be from 1st November to 31st October, and
(ii) The membership year of The Club shall be from 1st January to 31st December.

(d) COMMITTEE
The committee, to be elected annually, will be; President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Events Co-ordinator and Program Manager. Any retiring executive officer or (if no retiring executive officer) a member elected at the AGM and, a member elected at the AGM. Any retiring executive officer or (if no retiring executive officer) a member elected at the AGM and, a member elected at the AGM. Any vacancy on the Committee caused by; failure to be filled at the AGM, death, resignation or removal, may be filled by the Committee who may elect only an Ordinary Member, Member in Association or Honorary Life Member to the Committee.

(e) EXECUTIVE OFFICE
The Executive Office will consist of President, Secretary & Treasurer. Duties of the Executive are outlined Bye-Law 4

2. OBJECTS:

(a) To encourage the restoration, preservation and use of veteran, vintage, post-vintage and post-war vehicles considered by The Club to be worthy of preservation.
(b) To encourage correct driving and maintenance of antique and historic vehicles.
(c) To preserve all aspects of motoring history.
(d) To encourage interest in antique and historic vehicles outside The Club.
(e) To offer the services of The Club, Club Members and vehicles to such charitable organisations as may be decided by The Club from time to time.
(f) To engage in rallies, exhibitions and other events suitable for antique and historic vehicles.
(g) To seek to gain and maintain the privilege known as Conditional Registration for Club vehicles from the Roads and Traffic Authority.
(h) To acquire real and other property for the use of The Club and Club members.
(i) To establish a library of literature applicable to vehicles acceptable to The Club.
(j) To establish Club Rooms for the use of members
(k) To further activities associated with historic vehicles as outlined in By-Law 1

3. MEMBERSHIP:

(a) A person seeking membership of The Club shall be nominated and seconded by two financial Ordinary members, ordinary members in association, junior members or life members.
(c) A General Meeting shall vote on the election of the candidate to membership. After said applicant has qualified as per Bye Law 2/1 A three-quarter majority of members present voting in
favour will elect the candidate to membership.

4. TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP.

Persons may be eligible for membership in one of the following categories:

(a) Ordinary Member: A person of at least 18 years of age who subscribes to the aims of The Club. Ordinary members shall be eligible for all the benefits of membership, including the right to vote and hold office.

(b) Ordinary Member: Partner of an ordinary member. In Association Ordinary Members in Association Retain the rights and responsiblilities of an ordinary member (see above)

(c) Junior Member A person under 18 years of age who subscribes to the aims of The Club. Junior members shall be eligible for all the benefits of membership, excluding the right to vote and hold executive office

(d) Life Member

A member may be elected to honorary life membership in recognition of long and meritorious service to the Club.

Any person who:
(a) Is nominated by a member of the Club for election as a Life Member and seconded by an executive member after verification of eligibility of the nominated member;
(b) Has been a paid up member of the Club for fifteen or more years;
(c) Has held office with the Club for an aggregate of ten (10) years or more; and
(d) whose nomination receives the affirmative vote of not less than ninety per centum (90%) of those present and voting in person or by proxy at an Annual General Meeting of the Club, shall be elected as a Life Member of the Club.

Notice of the nomination of a person as a Life Member of the Club shall be given to members of the Club in writing not less than fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual General Meeting at which the nomination is to be considered.

A honorary Life Member shall be bound by this Constitution. A honorary Life Member who wishes to participate in regular Club events shall pay dues as an ordinary member. A honorary Life Member may elect to receive Club notifications and invitations as an ordinary member.

(e) The members of The Club may elect one or two Patrons.

5 DISCIPLINE OF MEMBERS:

(1) Where the Committee is of the opinion that a member of The Club -

(a) Has persistently refused or neglected to comply with a provision or provisions of these rules or bye-laws; or

(b) Has persistently and wilfully acted in a manner prejudicial to the interest of The Club , the Committee may, by resolution -
(i) expel the member from The Club; or
(ii) suspend the member from membership of The Club for a specified period.

(2) A resolution of the Committee under clause 5 (1) is of no effect unless the Committee, at a meeting held not earlier than 14 days and not later than 28 days after service on the member of a notice under clause 5 (3) confirms the resolution in accordance with this rule.

(3) Where the Committee passes a resolution under clause 5 (1) the Secretary shall, as soon as practicable, cause a notice in writing to be served on the member -

(a) setting out the resolution of the Committee and the grounds on which it is based;
(b) stating that the member may address the Committee at a meeting to be held not earlier than 14 days and not later than 28 days after service of the notice;
(c) stating the date and time of that meeting, and
(d) informing the member that he or she may do either or both of the following:
(i) attend and speak at that meeting, and/or
(ii) submit to the Committee at, or prior to the date of that meeting, written representations relating to the resolution.

(4) At a meeting of the Committee held as referred to in clause 5(3) the Committee shall -
(a) give to the member an opportunity to make oral representations;
(b) give due consideration to any written representations submitted to the Committee by the member at or prior

to the meeting; and
(c) by resolution, determine whether to confirm or to revoke the resolution.
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(5) Where the Committee confirms a resolution under clause 5(4), the Secretary shall, within 7 days after the confirmation, by notice in writing inform the member of the fact and of the member’s right of appeal under rule 6.

(6) A resolution confirmed by the Committee under clause 5(4) does not take effect -

(a) until the expiration of the period within which the member is entitled to appeal against the resolution where the member does not exercise the right of appeal within that period; or
(b) where within that period the member exercises the right of appeal, unless and until, The Club confirms the resolution pursuant to rule 6(4).

6 RIGHT OF APPEAL OF DISCIPLINED MEMBER.

(a) A member may appeal to The Club in a general meeting against resolution of the Committee, within 7 days after notice of the resolution being served on the member, by lodging with the Secretary a notice to that effect.

(b) Upon receipt of a notice from a member under clause 6(a) the Secretary shall notify the Committee which shall convene a general meeting of The Club to be held within 21 days after the date on which the Secretary received the notice.

(c) At a general meeting of The Club convened under clause 6(b), (i)No business other than the question of the appeal shall be transacted.
(ii) The Committee and the member shall be given the opportunity to state their respective cases orally or in writing or both.
(iii) The members present shall vote by secret ballot on the question of whether the resolution should be confirmed or revoked.

(d) If at the General Meeting the Club passes a special resolution in favour of the confirmation of the resolution, the resolution is so confirmed.

7 MEETINGS

(a) A minimum of ten (10) general meetings will be held in each Club financial year.

(b) An Annual General Meeting shall be held in December each year. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall include: Consideration of the President and Secretary’s reports. Consideration of the Financial Statement and Auditor’s report. Election of Officers and Committee for the ensuing year

(c) Written notice of the Annual General Meeting will be published in the prior month’s club magazine and listed on The Club website and/or advised by email or The Club electronic repository.

(c) A quorum for any meeting, except Committee Meetings, shall be 20% of Ordinary of members. A quorum for the committee shall be three.

(e) Committee meetings shall be held at such times and at such places as may be determined by the Committee from time to time.

(f) A member unable to attend an ordinary meeting may exercise his or her right to vote by proxy. Any proxy must be in writing and be in the hands of the Secretary at the commencement of the meeting. Only a Committee member shall hold a proxy for a Committee member.

(g) The Chairperson of any meeting shall have the right to vote and, in the event of a tied vote on any matter, the right to a second or casting vote.

(h) Meetings shall observe the rules of Parliamentary debate. Every question submitted to a meeting requiring the members to agree or disagree shall be decided by a show of hands, excepting that a secret ballot may be demanded by three (3) Ordinary members, members in association or honorary life members present at any meeting. If so demanded a secret ballot shall be held immediately.

8. CLUB MANAGEMENT

The management of the Club is vested in the elected officials.
(a) Officers and Committee shall be elected at the AGM and each shall hold office until the next AGM unless he or she resigns or is removed from office in accordance with this Constitution.

(b) Nominations for election to the committee shall be proposed and seconded by financial Ordinary Member, Member in Association, Junior Member or Honorary Life Member at the General Meeting prior to the Annual General Meeting.

(c) The Committee shall have the power to invite members to assist the Committee as and when it sees fit.

(d) Committee meetings will only be held in extreme situations or under extenuating circumstances. All business relating to the day to day running of The Club will be put through general meetings

(e) The Executive of the Club shall be President, Secretary and Treasurer.

(f) All members of the Committee are eligible for re-election to the Committee..

(g) Except as otherwise provided by these rules the Public Officer shall keep in his or her custody, or under his or her control, all records, books and other documents relating to the position of Public Officer.

(h) The records, books and other documents of the Club shall be open to inspection, free of charge, by any member of the Club at any
reasonable hour.

(i) Terms. Officers of The Club are elected annually and this annual period is considered one term. All officers shall have no limit of terms applied to them and will hold their positions until they retire, are removed or replaced at the next AGM. It is recommended however, that, the Club President should have a three year term, and, that all other committee members, despite their willingness to continue, or lack of alternatives, shall consider ten (10) consecutive terms a 'more than' reasonable contribution.

9. FUNDS - SOURCE & FINANCE

(a) The funds of The Club shall be annual subscriptions of members, donations and, subject to any resolution passed by The Club in general meetings, such other sources as the Committee determines.

(b) Members fees shall be as determined from time to time by The Club or the Committee and may include a joining fee. Fees should be paid no later than thirty (30) days after the Annual General Meeting, and, if not paid by that date membership shall automatically lapse. Notwithstanding, a member may be reinstated to membership by the Committee, upon payment of all monies due.

10. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

A person’s membership of the Club will be terminated if he or she:
(a) resigns;
(b) becomes subject to legal incapacity;
(c) is removed from membership by a majority resolution of The Club members at a general meeting
(d) Unfinancial after three (3) months, subject to RMS rules on Conditional Registration

11. LEGAL INDEMNITY

Neither the Club nor any member of The Club shall institute any proceedings in a Court of Law against the Committee or any member of The Club in respect of any act performed in the proper execution of his or her duties asa member of The Club or Club Committee.

12. AMENDMENTS TO THIS CONSTITUTION

Any proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be the subject of a Notice of Motion, given in writing at a Annual General Meeting. Notice of proposed amendments to be published in the club magazine, club website and/or advised by email or The Club electronic repository one month before the Annual General Meeting.

13. DISSOLUTION

(a) The dissolution of The Club shall take the form of an amendment to the Constitution. In the event of a dissolution the assets of The Club shall be realised by the Committee who shall dispose of those assets by donation to one or more registered charitable organisations, or another organisation with the same or similar objects to those of The Club.

(b) The liability of a member of the Club to contribute toward the payment of the debts and liabilities of The Club or the cost, charges and expenses of the winding up of The Club is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid by the member in respect of membership fees as required by Rule 10.

14 RULES FOR THE USE OF VEHICLES ON CONDITIONAL REGISTRATION (CR) AND THE ISSUE OF CR PLATES

(a) All rules & regulations issued by the RMS in regards Conditional Registration must be adhered to. RMS rules plus those recorded in Bye-Law7 are mandatory

(b) All enquiries must be directed to the Plates Registrar. Individual approaches to the Roads and Traffic Authority are not permitted.

15 COMMON SEAL

(a) The Common Seal of The Club shall be kept in the custody of the Public Officer of The Club.

(b) The Common Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of the Committee and the affixing of the Common Seal shall be attested by the signatures either of two (2) members of the Committee or of one (1) member of the Committee and of the Public Office