Norfolk Amateur Radio Club Norfolk Amateur Radio Club

constitution

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    NORFOLK AMATEUR RADIO CLUB CONSTITUTION

    Any reference in this Constitution to the male gender shall be deemed to include Persons of the female gender.

    1. DESIGNATION AND OBJECTIVES

    1. i) The Club shall be called The Norfolk Amateur Radio Club.
    2. ii) The object of the Club shall be to encourage and stimulate an interest in

    Amateur Radio and provide such facilities for the Members to follow such

    interests.

    iii) The Club may be affiliated to other organisations as considered meaningful

    in the pursuance of its objectives.

    1. iv) The Club shall be non-sectarian and non-political.

    1. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE.

    The Club shall be managed by the following:-

    Chairperson.

    Vice Chairperson.

    Honorary Secretary.

    Honorary Treasurer.

    Up to Eight but not less than Four Committee Members.

    The above, the President and Vice-Presidents shall be elected at the Annual General meeting (See Rule 6.1).

    After such election, the President may remain in office for three consecutive years. At the end of that term he may stand for re-election or be offered the office of Vice-President. The President may, at his discretion, attend and vote at Annual General Meetings, Extra-ordinary Meetings, and Committee Meetings. Vice Presidents may be appointed by the Committee for a period of three years, upon their names being put forward by the Chairperson, in recognition of outstanding services to the Club, and their appointments ratified at the following Annual General meeting. Vice-Presidents shall hold office for a period of three years. Honorary members may be appointed by the Committee upon their names being put forward by the President. Such appointments shall be in recognition of outstanding service to Amateur Radio at a National Level and ratified at the following Annual General Meeting. Both Vice Presidents and Honorary members have the same voting rights as Ordinary Members.

    1. MEMBERSHIP.

    A – Ordinary Members

    1. i) Membership shall be open to any person with a genuine and not solely commercial interest in Amateur Radio. Application for Membership shall be ratified by the Committee who shall have the power to veto any such application without necessarily stating their reason. Any fee paid by the unsuccessful candidate shall be refunded.

    1. ii) The period of Membership shall be from 1st January to 31st December inclusive in any one year. In the case of new Members the period shall at first be from the date of payment of their first Subscription to the following 31st

    iii) Membership shall be terminated through resignation, non-payment of the Subscription within the stipulated time, (See Rule 4(iii)), or through the following action by the Committee.

    1. iv) The Committee shall have the power to terminate the Membership of any individual if his actions are considered to be prejudicial to the interests of the Club or the generally accepted spirit of Amateur Radio. In such event the Committee shall deliver a written statement to the Member setting out the reason why the termination of his Membership is under review. The Member shall then be given the opportunity to select a date within the following thirty days, convenient to both himself and the Committee, on which a meeting shall be held to discuss the matter. At this meeting the Member shall have the right to invite a third party to assist in the presentation of his case. He shall also have the right to call witnesses and, through the Chair, question those initiating the complaint. At the end of the Meeting the Committee shall hold a secret ballot as to whether or not he should remain a Member and the Chairpersonshall advise the Member privately of the outcome of that ballot.

    B - Associate Members

    1. i) The purpose of an Associate Membership of NARC is to enable a person to maintain an associate link with NARC without being a regular visitor or Ordinary Member, subject to the following conditions:-

    1. ii) An Associate Member may make a maximum of five visits to the club per year, including participation in any external club events, when they will be a guest of the President, Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson. At such times, the Associate Member will comply with the rules of the NARC and those of the organisation where its meetings are held. 

    iii) Associate Members may attend Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings if they so wish but will not have the right to vote at such meetings.

    1. iv) Associate Members will have access to all such routine documentation as is made available to Ordinary Members. Where possible, this will be by electronic means.

    1. v) An annual subscription as determined by the committee and due on 1st January of each year will apply to those Associate Members domiciled in the UK.

    1. vi) Rules 3iii) and 3iv) shall apply concerning the termination of Associate Membership.

    The committee of the NARC reserves the right to ask an Associate Member to apply for Ordinary Membership if the maximum permitted number of visits is exceeded or believes that in other ways their membership is outside the intention of the Associate scheme.

    4 SUBSCRIPTIONS.

    1. i) The Rate of Subscription shall be determined by the Committee following a

    recommendation for any change put forward by the Honorary Treasurer.

    1. ii) The Committee shall determine any changes to the rate of club subscription for the following financial year based upon information put forward by the Hon Treasurer at a committee meeting to be held during October/November of the current financial year.

    iii) The rate of club subscriptions shall be announced to the membership of the club as early as possible thereafter but no later than the first club meeting in December of the current financial year. Subscriptions shall then fall due for payment on 1st January next and must be paid by the following 28th February.

    1. iv) The following categories of membership shall be made available:
    2. a) Ordinary Membership - standard
    3. b) Ordinary Membership - concessionary
    4. c) Ordinary Membership - family
    5. d) Associate Membership
    6. e) New members joining before 1 April
    7. f) New members joining after 1 April

    With reference to iv) b), concessions will be given where the member is:-

    1. a) Domiciled over 20kms from the centre of the City of Norwich
    2. b) A Senior citizen
    3. c) A Full-time student
    4. d) Registered Disabled
    5. e) A person under the age of 18 years.

    With reference to iv), c) (Ordinary Membership Family). A Family Membership shall be open to families residing at the same address. A family shall constitute the head of family plus spouse/partner and their direct dependents.

    1. VISITORS TO THE CLUB.
    2. i) Members shall be encouraged to sponsor visitors to the Club.

    1. ii) Whenever possible the Member sponsoring the Visitor shall introduce him to the Officers of the Club present and ensure that every endeavour is made to make him feel welcome.

    iii) No charge will be made for the Visitor's first attendance but subsequent attendances by the same individual will be charged at a nominal sum set by the Committee.

    1. iv) A Member sponsoring an Overseas Visitor may apply to the Committee for that person to become an Associate Member of the Club.

    1. MANAGEMENT.

    1. Annual General Meetings.

    i)An Annual General Meeting shall be held on the first Club Meeting as soon as practicable after 31st March in each year, the date being set by the committee and published to members in good time, at least 15 days before March 31st. The Annual General Meeting may be held in person at a nominated premises, on-line or a combination of these dependent upon circumstances.

    1. ii) At least fifteen days’ notice of the Meeting shall be given to members both in theClub Programme and on the Club Website.

    iii) The following items of business shall be transacted :-

    1. a) Apologies for Absence.
    2. b) Minutes of the last Annual Meeting and, if so be the case, the Minutes of any

    interim Extraordinary General Meeting.

    1. c) Matters arising from (b).
    2. d) Chairperson's Report and/or Honorary Secretary's Report.
    3. e) Honorary Treasurer's Report and Statement of Account for the Financial Year
    4. f) Proposed changes to the club constitution.
    5. g) Election of the following :-

    President [If applicable under the three-year rule (See Rule 2)]

    Chairperson,

    Vice Chairperson.

    Honorary Secretary.

    Honorary Treasurer.

    Up to eight, but not less than four Committee Members.

    1. h) Ratification of Committee approved appointments of Vice-Presidents and

    Honorary Members.

    1. i) Appointment of two Honorary Auditors.
    2. j) Appointment of one or more EMC Advisor.
    3. k) Nomination of a club charity or charities.
    4. l) Any specific items of business not listed herein but deemed necessary for

    inclusion by the Committee.

    1. m) Any other business.

    1. iv) Written Statements in respect of (b), (d) and (e) together with a List of Members as at the date of the Meeting shall be made available to all Members.
    2. v) Such matters under the heading of Any Other Business as may require further research before resolution shall, at the discretion of the Chairperson, be placed on the Agenda for the next Committee Meeting. The findings of the Committee on such matters shall be promulgated on the Club Website.

    1. vi) A list of Candidates for Election as Officers and Members of the Committee shall be displayed on the Club Website at least two weeks prior to the Meeting. The names of the Proposer and Seconder shall be shown together with the Candidate's signature to indicate that he is prepared to stand for Election.

    vii) Only Ordinary Members will be allowed to vote at an Annual General Meeting. This may be in person or in response to a pre-circulated voting form that must be received by the Chairman prior to the Annual General Meeting.

    viii) In the event of a tied vote the Chairperson shall have the casting vote.

    1. ix) Twenty-five per cent of the Membership listed under Rule 6.1(iv) shall form a Quorum. In the event of this not being obtained the Chairperson shall announce a date on which the postponed Meeting will take place. This date to be within thirty days of the original Meeting date. Should a Quorum not be obtained at this second Meeting the Committee shall meet to consider the winding up of the Club

    1. Extraordinary General Meetings.
    2. i) An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened by the Honorary Secretary within thirty days of having been directed to do so by the Committee, or upon his receipt of a written request for such a Meeting signed by fifteen Members and stating the reason for the Meeting.

    1. ii) At least fifteen days’ notice of the Meeting and the business to be conducted shall be given to the Members in writing.

    iii) No business other than that for which the Meeting has been called shall be discussed.

    1. iv) Rules 6.1.(vii) and 6.1.(viii) as applicable to Annual General Meetings shall apply to Extraordinary General Meetings.

    1. v) Twenty-five per cent of the Membership at the time of the Meeting shall form a Quorum. In the event of this not being obtained the Chairperson shall decide whether to postpone the Meeting to a later date or carry the matter forward to the next Annual General Meeting providing that this falls within the following three months. If a Quorum is not obtained at a second Meeting the matter shall be carried forward to the next Annual General Meeting.

    1. Committee Meetings.
    2. i) The day-to-day administration of the Club shall be undertaken by the Committee. It shall meet as often as necessary in the interests of the Club but not less frequently than four times per annum.
    3. ii) Five Committee Members including Officers of the Club shall form a Quorum.

    iii) At the first Committee Meeting following an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting the Honorary Secretary shall make available the Minutes of that Meeting and any Matters Arising from it shall be deliberated.

    1. iv) At the first Committee Meeting following an Annual General Meeting the Committee shall elect from within itself the following:-
    2. a) Programme Secretary
    3. b) Membership Secretary
    4. c) Station Manager
    5. d) QSL Manager
    6. e) Events Manager

    Plus a Manager for any other areas of responsibility as may arise where individual control and organisation is required.

    1. v) The Committee shall have the power to co-opt additional Members to the Committee and appoint Sub-Committees for special purposes. The Chairperson, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall be Members of all such Sub-Committees in addition to those appointed.

    1. vi) At each Committee Meeting an Agenda, the Minutes of the previous Meeting and a Statement of Account to date shall be promulgated.

    vii) The Committee shall have the power to deal with any matter concerning the management of the Club for which provision is not made elsewhere in these Rules.

    1. FINANCE.

    1. i) The Financial Year shall be notionally from 1st January to 31st December but based upon the dates of receipt of the Bank Statements.

    1. ii)
    2. a) The Club funds shall be held in an Account with a recognised Bank. All financial transactions shall be signed by any two from the following Club Officers, The Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary or the President.

    1. b) In the event of the Honorary Treasurer not being available for an extended period (period to be determined by the committee at the time of the absence) the accounts shall be managed by the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson or the Hon Secretary until such time as the Treasurer is available or a replacement has been appointed. The decision to appoint a new Treasurer shall be made at a meeting of the committee and ratified through a vote by a quorum of the club membership.

    iii) The internal Accounting System of the Club shall be as agreed with the Honorary Auditors and be such that all monies held in connection with major projects such as Rallies, Equipment and other special activities as directed by the Committee shall be identifiable.

    1. a) Annually at the AGM, or an appropriate time, the Club shall use a membership vote to nominate a charity (or charities), as proposed by an Ordinary Member of NARC, to support through voluntary fund raising.

    Should a special situation arise at any time an additional or different charitable cause may be nominated after being voted upon by the membership.

    The proceeds raised from such voluntary fund raising shall be allocated in full to the charity or charities less any direct costs incurred by the club.

    Funds raised and any direct costs in raising these funds will be documented and audited in accordance with the clubs established processes.

    1. iv) The Honorary Treasurer shall present a Statement of Account to date at each Committee Meeting and make available a Statement of Account, together with all supporting documents, at least thirty days before the Annual General Meeting for inspection by the Honorary Auditors.

    1. v) Any use of the Club Funds involving a total expenditure of £500 or over in connection with any one project shall be put to the Members for ratification at a Club Meeting where at least twenty-five per cent of the then Membership are present.

    1. vi) In the event of the dissolution of the Club the Committee shall be responsible for realising the Assets of the Club and their fair disposal as agreed with the remaining Members or their transfer to a new Club having the same objectives as the Norfolk Amateur Radio Club.

    1. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

    Changes to this Constitution shall only be made at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose. The wording of the proposed change together with the signatures of the Proposer and Seconder shall be in the hands of the Honorary Secretary not later than thirty days before the Meeting. Any Motion to change the Constitution may only be carried if the number of votes in favour is at least double those against the motion.

    1. LIBRARY& LOAN EQUIPMENT

    A Library of books and range of loan equipment shall be made available for use by Ordinary Members. Such items may be loaned for a period of time under terms and conditions as set by the Committee. A person borrowing such items will be responsible for their safe keeping and condition at all times. NARC reserves the right to recover any costs associated with non-return or damage of such items.

    1. CLUB STATION.

    A Club Station may be provided for the use of appropriately licensed Members and appropriately licensed visitors. The Station shall be operated within the Terms and Conditions of the Licence held and be the responsibility of the Station Manager.

    1. CLUB TROPHIES.

    Rules for NARC Trophies

    Trophies shall be awarded annually at the Annual General Meeting.

    The Committee Cup. (Also known as the NARC Cup.)

    Open to any Member, who at the time of selection is not an Officer of the Club or a Member of the Committee. The recipient to be selected in January of each year by the then existing Committee who shall chose the Member they deem to have achieved most to assist and promote the success of the Club during the previous year. Should the deliberations of the Committee prove inconclusive, and a ballot is necessary, the President shall abstain and cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The name of the winner shall not be divulged until the following AGM.

    The President's Cup.

    Open to all Members, including the Officers and Members of the Committee.

    The recipient to be selected in January of each year by the then President on the basis of the person he deems to have achieved most to assist and promote the success of the Club during the previous year. The name of the winner shall not be divulged before the following AGM. If he so wishes, the President may consult with the Chairman when making his selection.

    The Construction Cup.

    A display of home constructed electronic devices shall be held annually.

    Two Members with sound technical and construction knowledge, but who are not exhibiting, shall be appointed by the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson to judge the merits of each item. One such judge to be the winner of the event in the previous year. The judges to agree between themselves at least six headings under which marks shall be given in order to determine the winner. If they so wish the judges may award a Certificate of Merit to a constructor for work of a high standard bearing in mind the age, experience and ability of that person. Items may not necessarily have been built in the previous year and may be constructed from a commercial kit. There is no restriction on the number of years any item may be entered providing that it has not previously won an award.

    The Foxhunt Trophy.

    This trophy shall be awarded to the winner(s) of the Direction Finding Foxhunt Competition in accordance with current rules as set out by the committee.

    The winner(s) shall have the option to be the “fox” the following year and find a suitable location from which to operate.

    The John Wadman Memorial Key.

    Open to any Member of the Club who joined as a newcomer to the hobby and is deemed to have done most to assist and promote the success of the Club during the preceding year. The selection shall be made by the Committee in January of each year when they may call upon any Licensed Instructors and other Members to assist in that selection.

    NB

    John Wadman, G0VZD, was Chairperson of NARC from the mid 1990’s until 2002 and becoming a silent key in 2003. During this period he devoted considerable time and effort to the training of newcomers in the hobby.

    Speaker of the Year Award.

    To be awarded to the Speaker who has presented the most interesting talk and/or demonstration during the previous year. Selection will be made by the vote of the Members from January and, to facilitate this step, a list of talks with the names of the speakers shall be circulated along with a voting slip to be signed by the voting Member. The votes shall be counted by the most senior Officer of the Club who has not made a presentation during the year, and in the event of a tie he will have the casting vote. The name of the winner shall not be divulged before the ’award’ is to be presented.  The NARC Speaker of the Year Trophy and a certificate will be presented in the event of the winner being a NARC member, or a certificate only in the event of the winner being a non-member.

    Koblenz Plate

    To be awarded to a member of the Club as a newcomer to the hobby for personal achievement and advancement in Amateur Radio. The selection shall be made by the committee in January of each year.

    The name of the winner shall not be divulged before the trophy is to be presented.

    NB

    The Koblenz Plate was presented to NARC by Arno Herz DL1PBC and Ralph Schlüsener DM5RS on behalf of the Koblenz Amateur Radio Club during their visit in 2006 to commemorate the Norwich/Koblenz twinning links.

    Peter Ives G3ASQ Youth Award

    An award presented to the young member (under 18) who has tried hardest and made the most personal progress during the year including helping fellow young colleagues.

    The Clubs Youth or Bright Sparks coordinators to make recommendations to the committee as to the most appropriate winner of this award.

    NB

    Peter Ives, G3ASQ, was a long-time member and former president of NARC, (2003 to 2009), who was always keen to encourage youth and became a silent key in 2009.

    Discretion of the Committee.

    The Committee shall have the right to alter these rules should circumstances so dictate providing any resulting modification maintains the spirit and intention of each award.

    Should the above criteria not be met these awards may be held over until the following year.

    Restrictions

    The Committee Cup, the President's Cup and the John Wadman Memorial Key shall not be presented to the same person two years running. A similar constraint is imposed by the Rules concerning the Construction Cup and the Foxhunt Trophy.