We welcome all new members to the Club. If you would like to join please download and complete our membership form below
Club Rules
(are true and correct and held with the GCCF)
TITLE
The title of the club shall be the Midshires Siamese Cat Association and shall be referred to in these rules and constitution as ” the Association”.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Association shall be :
• To encourage interest in the welfare and breeding of Siamese cats and to encourage kind treatment of all cats.
• To encourage the exhibition of Siamese cats and to hold an annual Siamese cat show in the Midlands area.
• To sustain interest by offering support to other Siamese cat club shows.
MEMBERSHIP
The Association shall consist of an unlimited number of ordinary, life and honorary members. Membership shall be open to any person who agrees to abide by the rules of the Association, subject to their application being approved by the Committee. Honorary membership may be granted by the Committee but such members are NOT allowed to vote, nor can they be elected to the Committee. They shall, however, enjoy all other benefits of membership.
Any member may resign from membership of the Association by giving notice in writing to the Honorary Secretary. In doing so, the resigning member shall relinquish and forfeit all claims against the Association. Subscriptions paid during the year of resignation are non-refundable.
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
Application for membership may be made at any time and on the appropriate form and must be accompanied by the correct entry fee and annual subscription. All applicants must satisfy the Committee that they shall be suitable members of the Association by being proposed and seconded by fully paid up members. In the event of their not knowing such members, a letter of recommendation from their veterinary surgeon would be considered in lieu, a signature alone would not be sufficient. All applications and re-applications shall be subject to the approval or rejection by the Committee. The Committee shall not be required to divulge the reasons for their decisions. Rejected applications shall have their monies refunded. A roll of membership shall be kept by the Association.
FINANCE
The annual subscription payable on the 1st January each year shall be an amount to be decided by the Committee and agreed by the Members at the Annual General Meeting. A one off entrance fee payable with the Application for Membership shall follow the same ruling. Any member failing to pay their annual subscription by the date of the Annual General Meeting, shall be deemed to have resigned from the Association and shall be required to pay an entrance fee upon subsequent re-application.
After continuous membership for 3 years a member may apply for Life membership upon payment of an amount equal to 10 times the current annual subscription, subject to the approval of the Committee.
No member shall have the right to vote at any meeting or to enjoy any privilege of membership whilst their subscription remains unpaid.
All monies collected and deposited in the ISOBEL NORTH FUND shall be used solely for cat welfare and cannot be transferred or used for any other purpose.
2
ORGANISATION OF MANAGEMENT
The Associations affairs shall be managed by a Committee consisting of a President, Vice Presidents, a Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer ( herein after referred to in these rules as Officers ), and a maximum of 5 other members. Members of the Committee shall be appointed for a term not exceeding 3 years, at the end of which they can apply for re-election. The Hon.Secretary must inform Committee members of their status at the last meeting of the Association year, so that written nominations for re-election can be submitted to the Hon.Secretary by the Association year end 31st December.
Any member of over 12 months standing can apply to become a Committee member by submitting a written nomination, proposed and seconded by existing members, to the Hon.Secretary by 31st December.
Nominations shall be considered and voted on by the Committee at the first meeting of the Association year beginning 1st January.
Any committee member of over 3 years standing can apply to become a officer by submitting a written nomination, proposed and seconded by the committee, to the Hon.Secretary by 31st December.
Nominations shall be considered and voted on by the Committee at the first meeting of the Association year beginning 1st January. Officers, with the exception of the Chairman, shall be appointed annually at the meeting prior to the Annual General Meeting and shall be subject to confirmation at the Annual General Meeting. Retiring Officers shall be eligible for re-election. The Chairman shall automatically retire after serving for 3 years, but shall be eligible for re-election. The Chairman shall be elected by the Committee and is not subject to confirmation at the Annual General Meeting. A Vice-Chairman shall be elected annually by the Committee.
POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE
The property, management and finance of the Association shall be vested in the Committee, which shall be to:
• Call meetings of the Association
• Formulate rules
• Arbitrate in any dispute
• Elect members
• Deal with any matter not provided for in these rules
• Immediately suspend or expel any member or Officer from the Association if, in the opinion of the Committee their conduct has been detrimental to the welfare, breeding or exhibiting of cats, or likely to prove injurious to the character, reputation or interest of the Association. Such suspension or expulsion shall be subject to appeal at a Special General Meeting of the membership and shall be called specifically for this purpose. The suspended/expelled member shall have the opportunity to state their case and shall be allowed to be reinstated if the appeal is upheld. Such appeals shall be decided by a majority of two thirds of the Members present and voting. Any expelled or resigning Officer must return all Association property immediately.
• Delegate any of its powers to a sub-committee of members formulated for a specific purpose.
• Fill vacancies caused by the resignation of Officers until the following Annual General Meeting.
• Fill Committee vacancies by co-opting members. Co-opted members shall not have voting rights at their first meeting but, subject to Committee approval, shall be able to vote at subsequent meetings.
3
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Committee shall meet not less than 4 times in each Association year, on dates and places determined by the Chairman and Hon.Secretary and 14 days notice shall be given to Committee members, along with an agenda and copy of the previous meeting minutes. Four members of the Committee shall form a quorum. All matters shall be decided by a majority of the Committee members present. The Chairman or member occupying the chair shall vote only in the event of the votes being equal and shall have the casting vote which will be decisive. Any member of the Committee who fails to attend half of the meetings during the Association year, without reasonable cause, shall be deemed to have resigned from the Committee.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held once a year at a date and place as the Committee decide. At least 14 days notice shall be given to every member of the Association and a minimum of 3 Association members, excluding Officers, shall form a quorum. Any matters for the agenda must be submitted in writing to the Hon.Secretary by 28th February. At such meeting a financial report and audited balance sheet for the previous year end of 31st December, approved by the Committee, shall be submitted to the membership. An Auditor of the Associations accounts shall be appointed annually at the Annual General Meeting. All matters and resolutions shall be decided by a majority of the voting members present, no proxy or postal votes shall be admissible.
A Special General Meeting may be called at any time upon requisite, signed by, no less than, 6 members of the Association specifying the exact business for which the meeting is required, and which shall be the only business considered at the meeting. The date and place of the Special General Meeting shall be decided by the Chairman and Hon.Secretary and the Association membership shall be informed of the business to be considered not less than 14 days prior to such meeting.
EXPENSES
All reasonable expenses incurred by the Officers shall, on the authority of the Committee, be repaid from Association funds. Payment shall be made by cheque and shall be signed by the Hon.Treasurer and the Hon.Secretary or Chairman.
GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE CAT FANCY
The Association is affiliated to the GCCF and they shall have disciplinary powers, according to their constitution, over the Association and its members. Any member, including Honorary and Life members, suspended under Article 12 of the GCCF constitution and wishing to rejoin after expiration of the suspension, must apply for re-election to the Associations Committee. The Association shall comply with the requirements of the GCCF constitution and with the GCCF show rules. The Associations delegate and substitute delegate to the GCCF shall be members of the Committee and shall be elected for 1 year at the Annual General Meeting. The delegates shall be eligible for re-election.
4
DISSOLUTION
A Special General Meeting shall be called specifically for the purpose and 28 days notice shall be given to the Association membership informing them of the intention to wind up the Associations affairs. For this meeting only postal votes shall be allowed and a decision must be agreed by two thirds of the vote. If dissolution is agreed the liabilities of the Association shall be discharged and the balance, with the exception of the Isobel North Fund, shall be divided equally amongst fully paid up members. Any trophies shall be returned to donors if possible, otherwise donated or disposed of at the Committees discretion.
Money held in the Isobel North Fund shall be distributed between other Siamese cat welfare organisations at the Committees discretion.
All Officers and members of the Association who, under these rules or in pursuance of these rules, have the custody of any books, documents, records or monies belonging to the Association shall on request surrender them to the Committee.