SOUTHERN BORDER TERRIER CLUB
CONSTITUTION & RULES
1. Name & Objects
The Club shall be called the Southern Border Terrier Club and its objects shall be to encourage in every possible way the breeding of the Border Terrier of correct type and working qualities and the judging of them at shows according to the breed standard.
The Club will support shows for the correct type of Border Terrier in particular to support classes for terriers holding a working certificate signed by the Master of a recognised pack of Foxhounds hunting Foxes and registered in the Club Register of such working certificate holders. This register to be kept by an appointed committee member.
2. Officers & Committee
The Club shall consist of Patron, President, an unlimited number of Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, a Committee no more than eighteen and an unlimited number of Members.
3. Committee
The management of the Club shall be in the hands of the Officers of the Club and a Committee consisting of no more than eighteen members of whom six shall retire annually on a three-year rotation.
Members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election every three years. The President shall not have voting rights and shall be elected every five years. Vice-Presidents shall be elected every five years.
Officers shall be elected annually. Election for Officers, Vice-Presidents and Committee shall be by secret ballot, unless unopposed, at General meetings. Vice Presidents shall be entitled to attend Committee meetings and will have full voting rights, the Officers and Committee members shall have full voting rights.
The Treasurer and Secretary are exofficio members of the Committee and have the same rights and voting powers as a Committee member. On no account will postal or proxy votes be allowed at committee meetings. At the first Committee meeting after the AGM or when the office becomes vacant the Committee shall elect two of their number to be Chairman and Vice Chairman for the ensuing year or until the next AGM, such election shall be by secret ballot, unless unopposed. Meetings shall be held as often as deemed necessary with at least two meetings per year.
A quorum for Committee meetings shall be seven, which number shall include, Officers, Vice-Presidents and Committee members present. The committee shall have the powers to co-opt members on to the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between General Meetings. Those co-opted shall only hold office until the next General Meeting at which an election of Officers and Committee takes place. No individual who has been a member for less than three years may be elected on to the Committee. Any Club or Committee matter not covered by the rules can be decided by the Committee.
4. Election of Members
Candidates for membership considered favorable to the objects of the Club shall be proposed by one existing fully paid up member of not less than two years standing and seconded by one existing fully paid up member of not less than two years standing, and will be accepted for membership of the Club on payment of the appropriate subscription.
Candidates for membership shall state whether they wish to be either sole members, joint members or junior members. The election of members shall be controlled by the Committee whose decision shall be final and shall be by ballot of those Committee members present at a Committee meeting on a simple majority by show of hands. The Committee may at their discretion admit as Honorary members any persons whose services to the Club and the Breed generally are well recognised.
5. List of Members
The Club shall 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. The list may be published in the Year Book
6. Voting Rights
Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon receipt of notification of acceptance of membership. Joint members shall be entitled to one vote for each member of the partnership.
Junior members shall be those under the age of eighteen years and shall not be entitled to a vote. Postal and/or proxy votes are not allowed. Voting shall be by show of hands and decided by a simple majority unless a secret ballot is specified in the Agenda to the Meeting or otherwise provided for in these Rules.
7. Club Property
The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Club's assets and the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club.
A final statement of accounts with a record of the disposal of the property of the Club shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Club, will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.
8. Club Accounts
A bank account shall be maintained in the name of the Club at the National Westminster Bank plc into which all revenues shall be deposited and from which all withdrawals shall be made only on two signatures being the Treasurer and the Secretary or the signature of the Chairman of the Committee and the Treasurer or Secretary.
The Treasurer will have internet access to the current account and with the prior email agreement of an account signatory, shall be authorised to make bank transfer payments, on behalf of the club. The Committee shall be empowered to instruct the Treasurer to change bankers if necessary and also be empowered to instruct the Treasurer to open a deposit account in the name of the Club with a bank or building society with similar signature requirements to the main bank account.
The Treasurer shall prepare each year a balance sheet and income and expenditure account, which shall be audited by the Club's auditor(s) and will be presented to the members at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall appoint a qualified accountant as auditor, or two unqualified auditors with accountancy experience, to certify the balance sheet and income and expenditure account of the Club each year. Those undertaking the certification must be independent from those who prepare the accounts.
The appointment of the auditor(s) shall be confirmed by the members at each Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall be empowered to set any remuneration to the auditor(s).
9. Subscriptions
The Annual Subscription for each class of membership is payable on the 1st January of each year and shall be such amount as agreed by members in a General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club, any alterations will become effective on the 1st January next following the General Meeting. No member whose subscription is unpaid is entitled to any of the privileges of membership and if the member shall fail to pay the outstanding subscription by the 31st December of the same calendar year when the subscription first became due his/her name shall be automatically erased from the database .Acceptance back on the database will be dependent upon a new application.
10. Expulsion of Members
Any member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A11j(4) and/or 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 Club be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Club, the Committee of 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. Any member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A11j(4) and/or any member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A11j(8) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Society for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification.
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 Club 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. 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.
11. Financial Year/ AGM
The financial year of the Club shall be from the 1st January to 31st December and the Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in the month of March immediately following the end of the financial year.
12. General & Special General Meetings
The business conducted at Annual General Meetings shall be to receive the report of the Committee and the audited balance sheet and income and expenditure account for the financial year, to elect Officers, President and Vice-Presidents, set subscriptions and to discuss any resolutions duly placed on the agenda of which prior notice has been given to the Secretary. No business shall be transacted at an Annual General Meeting unless notice appears on the Agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those which in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting are urgent. At least thirty days notice shall be given by the Secretary by advertisement via the Club Website and publication in the Dog Press of the date, time and place of the Annual General Meeting, the date time and place of the Annual General Meeting will also be printed in the Club's Yearbook circulated to all members.
Items for inclusion in the Agenda of a General Meeting must be given in writing to the Secretary not less than thirty days before the date of the General Meeting and must be proposed and seconded by fully paid up members. Nominations for the Committee must be submitted in writing to the Secretary not less than fourteen days before a General Meeting and nominations for the Committee must be signed by two fully paid up members of at least five years standing who will act as proposer and seconder.
The Agenda will be posted on the Club Website and the Minutes will be circulated at the meeting. However, any fully paid-up member may request in advance a copy of both the Agenda and Minutes by applying to the Secretary 14 days prior to the date of the meeting. A quorum for the Annual General Meeting shall be 20 fully paid-up members.
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A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Secretary if twenty-five fully paid up members entitled to vote at Meetings send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a Special General Meeting. No business other than that detailed on the Agenda can be discussed at a Special General Meeting. Twenty-eight days’ notice of a Special General Meeting shall be given and shall state in the notice the date, time and place of the meeting and details of the business to be discussed. Notification of a Special General Meeting will be published on the Southern Border Terrier Club Website and in the Dog Press.
13. Amendments To Rules
The Rules of the Club may not be altered except at a General Meeting, the Agenda for which contains specific proposals to amend the Rules, any proposal to amend the Rules of the Club shall require a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting at the Meeting. Any proposed alteration to the Rules may not be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been advised and approved the alteration.
14. Annual Returns to the Kennel Club
The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the 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 be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary of the Club which may occur during the year.
15. Kennel Club Final Court of Appeal
The Kennel Club shall be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute.
16. Federation
The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs with the exception of the National Terrier Federation (K.C. approved).
17. Club Judges' Lists
The Committee of the Club will produce a list of Judges each year, which will be submitted to the Kennel Club as part of the Club's Annual Returns.
The purpose of the Lists is to indicate to interested parties those persons the Club would support at differing levels of judging. Membership of the Club is not a pre-requisite for inclusion on the lists.
The Club's Judging Lists will be divided into five sections i.e. A1, A2, A3, B and C. sections A3, B and C are further divided into Breed and Non Breed Specialist. The Officers and Committee be empowered to draw up on an annual basis the Judging Lists using the relevant criteria approved by the committee and updated from time to time in accordance with mandatory Kennel Club requirements. The criteria will be published with the Judges Lists on the Club Website and may also be printed in the Yearbook.
Members wishing to nominate persons for consideration by the Committee should apply for details direct to the Secretary. The following statement to be printed on the Club's Questionnaire The submission of a completed questionnaire will allow the Southern Border Terrier Club's Committee to consider the person for the ballot but does not imply inclusion on any of the Club's Judging Lists whose stated criteria the applicant may satisfy. Voting for inclusion on all Judges Lists is by secret ballot by the Committee and therefore the Committee or Secretary cannot enter into any discussion regarding non-selection.
18. Club Rules, Code of Ethics & Social Media
Any person elected as a member of the Club and taking up his/her membership shall be deemed to have read the Rules of the Club and Code of Ethics and be prepared to abide by them.
No member shall use social media to make derogatory comments – direct or implied – about another member, the club or an official of the club. Such conduct may be considered incompatible with continued membership and may lead to the expulsion of that member
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