Club Constitution

1. Name and Object

The Association shall be called the South West Scotland Gundog Association and its objects shall be:

1. To develop and perfect the natural working ability of all gundogs by means of Field Trials and Field Tests.
2. To foster and encourage the breeding of gundogs according to their breed standard.

2. Officers & Committee

The Association shall consist of Patrons, President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, a committee of fifteen and a limited number of ordinary members.

3. Committee

The management of the Association shall be in the hands of a Committee of fifteen ordinary members, each member being elected for a term of three years, one third of whom shall retire annually from the committee in rotation, retiring members may seek re-election.

Members wishing to be elected to the Management Committee must be proposed and seconded by two members and notification in writing, duly signed, must be in the hands of the secretary Fourteen Days prior to the AGM.

The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be ex-officio members of the committee and the office of Secretary and Treasurer may at the discretion of the members present at the A.G.M. be conjoined. The office-bearers shall be elected annually at the AGM.

The committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancies in its membership by co-option and to make such by-laws and Regulations consistent with the terms of the Constitution and Rules of the Association as it may from time to time deem necessary.

The committee may specifically appoint sub-committee consisting of such persons as it thinks fit (who need not be members of the committee) to deal with such matters as it may delegate to them. Meeting of committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary.

Seven, including one Office-Bearer, shall form a quorum for the transaction of business.

4. Election of Members

Candidates for membership of the Association shall be proposed by one member and seconded by another and elected by the committee at one of their meetings. Two negatives shall exclude.

There will be a limited numbers of members allowed onto the list of members. The limit will be decided by the committee. All persons asked to help or participate in field trials will become full members of the club for the day.

5. List of Members

For the purpose of insurance, any non-member, participating or officiating at an event organized by the Association will become a member for the day. Any non member asked to judge at a Field Trial will be added to the list of members for one year, the subscription being paid by the Association.

6. Voting Rights

Each member shall be entitled to one vote six months after acceptance of membership by the committee. Postal and proxy votes are not allowed. Joint members are allowed one vote per partnership.

7. Club Property.

The property of the Association shall be vested in the Committee and in the event of the Club ceasing to exist a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the assets.

8. Club Accounts

All revenue for the Association shall be paid into banking accounts in the name of the Association from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signatures of two or more office-bearers one of whom must be the Treasurer. If the office of Secretary/Treasurer be conjoined one of the signatories must be another Office Bearer of the Association.

The accounts shall be kept by the treasurer.

The accounts shall be certified annually by one qualified accountant or by two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience and presented to the members at the AGM.

9. Subscriptions

The Annual Subscription shall be decided by the members present at the AGM and notified to the Kennel Club.

It shall be payable to the treasurer on the 1st January each year.

A joining fee shall be paid by each new member. The joining fee shall be decided at the AGM.

No member whose subscription is unpaid shall be entitled to any of the privileges of membership and if any member shall fail to pay the annual subscription by the 1st March the committee shall have the power to delete his name from the list of members. If the committee shall subsequently receive a satisfactory explanation the member may at the discretion of the Committee be re-admitted to membership.

10. Expulsion of Members

Any member who shall be suspended under kennel Club Rule A42J (4) and/ or an – member whose dog(s) is /are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42j (8) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Association for a duration of the suspensionand /or disqualification.

If the conduct of any member shall be injurious to the character or interests of the Association, the Committee may at a meeting, the notice convening which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of a member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Association shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her.

Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused member giving particulars of the complaint and advising him of the place date and hour of the meeting that he may attend and offer an explanation. If at the meeting a resolution to expel is passed by two thirds majority of the members present and voting his name forthwith shall be deleted from the list of members and shall thereupon cease for all purposes to be a member of the Association, except that he may within two calendar months from the date of such meeting appeal to the Kennel Club upon the subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.

11. The Financial Year/Annual General Meeting

The Financial Year of the Association shall be from 1st January till 31st December.

The Annual General Meeting shall be held on or before 31st June each year and at least 14 clear days notice of the meeting shall be given to the membership.

12. Annual General Meetings.

The purpose of the Annual General Meeting shall be as follows.

To receive the minutes of the previous AGM.

To receive the report of the Committee and the Balance Sheet.

To elect Office Bearers, members of committee and two Auditors, one of whom shall not be a member of committee.

To discuss and if necessary vote upon any resolutions duly placed on the Agenda of which notice has been given to the secretary before the 1st January. No business shall be transacted at the Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those which in the opinion of the Chairman are urgent.

Patrons may be appointed at the AGM usually they will be proposed by the committee.

A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Secretary on the instructions of the Committee at anytime or on receipt of a requisition signed by thirty members stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a Special General Meeting.

No business other than the business specified on the Agenda may be discussed at the Special General Meeting.

Voting at Annual or Special General Meetings may be by show of hands but a ballot may be requisition if at least five members present require it. In the event of a tie the Chairman shall have a casting vote.

13. Amendments to the Rules.

The Rules of the Association may not be altered except at a General Meeting, the Agenda of which contains specific proposals to amend the Rules. Any proposed alteration to the Rules may not be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been advised and approved the alterations.

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 the continuance of registration and that by the 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in the Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils, will be forwarded to the Kennel Club.

The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.

15. Kennel Club and Final Court of Appeal.

The Kennel Club shall be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute.

16. The Association shall not join any federation of Societies or Clubs.

17. 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.