Northern England Flatcoated Retriever Association Constitution and Rules

For simplicity the masculine pronoun is used throughout this document but the provisions apply equally to males and females

1  Name
The Association shall be called “The Northern England Flatcoated Retriever Association“ (hereinafter referred to as “the Association“ ).

2  Objects
The Objects for which the Association is established are:-
a) To encourage responsible dog ownership
b) To encourage the breeding of a type of Flatcoated Retriever which conforms to the approved Breed Standard
c) To encourage the training & working of the breed and to run Working Tests & Field Trials.
d) To run Shows.

3  Officers
The officers of the Association shall consist of a President, a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, an Honorary Secretary, an Honorary Treasurer, an Honorary Show Secretary and an Honorary Working Secretary. The President may be elected for life but the other officers shall be elected for a term of three years at an Annual General Meeting. The Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Show Secretary and Honorary Working Secretary shall retire in rotation each year. All officers shall ex-officio be members of the committee and have full voting rights.

4  Maintenance of Title
The officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year a Maintenance of Title fee will be paid to The Kennel Club for the continuance of registration and that by the 31st July each year all the other returns which The Kennel Club shall require under their Rules & Regulations will be forwarded to them. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform The Kennel Club of any change of Secretary which may occur during the year.

5  Committee
The business and affairs of the Association shall be managed by a General Committee consisting of the Officers and twelve ordinary members, which may regulate the conduct of its business in such manner as it thinks fit.

Each ordinary committee member shall be elected for a term of three years. Four of them shall retire each year in rotation but retiring members may seek re-election.

Five members, including at least one officer, shall form a quorum. The Chairman of the meeting shall, in the event of an equality of votes, have a casting vote.

The General Committee may appoint sub-committees which are accountable to it. Sub-committees shall include a minimum of two members of the General Committee.

Members of the Association are not eligible to stand for election to the General Committee until they have been fully paid-up members for a minimum of three consecutive years.

If any member of the committee shall have been absent for three consecutive meetings of the committee, without satisfactory explanation, his name shall be struck off the list of committee members and the committee may appoint a replacement to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.

The committee may appoint a replacement to fill any vacancy caused by resignation, retirement, death or other reasons.

Vacancies in the committee caused by resignation, retirement, death or other reasons shall be filled at the next Annual General Meeting except that the person so elected will only serve for the term of the person he replaces.

It shall be at the sole discretion of the Committee to invest any surplus income or funds of the Association and to disburse same in whatever manner it decides for the benefit of the Association consistent with the Objects of the Association.
At each Committee meeting the provisional date, time, and venue of the next meeting will be given. This will be confirmed by notice given not less than fourteen days before the chosen date unless exceptional circumstances demand it.

The Committee shall have the power to make such bye-laws and regulations, consistent with the terms of the Constitution and Rules, as it may from time to time deem necessary.

No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Association.

Honorary Vice-Presidents and Honorary Members may be elected for life at an Annual General Meeting on the recommendation of the Committee. Notice of the proposal to elect an Honorary Vice-President or Honorary Member must appear on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting. Honorary Vice-Presidents and Honorary Members shall have all the rights and privileges of membership but shall not be liable to pay subscriptions. Honorary Vice-Presidents shall ex-officio be members of the committee and have full voting rights.

6  Constitution and Rules
The constitution and rules of the Association shall form the basis of membership and may not be altered except at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting, notice of which contains details of the proposal to alter the Constitution or Rules.

Such alterations may not be brought into force until The Kennel Club has been advised and has given its approval to the alteration. New Rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet The Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately and be included in the Association’s Constitution with effect from the Association’s Annual General Meeting.

7  Membership

The Association shall consist of an unlimited number of members, all responsible persons interested in the Flatcoated Retriever, being eligible for membership. Junior membership shall be available, without voting rights, for persons under eighteen years of age. These members may, if over sixteen years and upon payment of the full subscription, enjoy the rights and privileges of full membership.

Candidates for membership of the Association must be proposed and seconded by two fully paid-up members of the Association and shall be elected by the Committee. No member shall be entitled to be present, to take part in any proceedings or vote in any General Meeting, or to nominate, to be elected, or if elected to take office as a member of the Committee if or whilst he is due to the Association any subscriptions or other debt due to the Association which has remained due for a period of more than TWO MONTHS after the same became due and payable.

The Association must maintain an up to date list of members and their addresses, and those of branch members where appropriate and, if so requested, make the list available for inspection by the Kennel Club and members of the Association. A declaration of the numbers of the Association must be made with the Annual Returns.

8  Subscriptions
Subscriptions shall be as decided by the Annual General Meeting and shall be categorised as follows: – Ordinary Membership
Joint Membership (maximum of two adults per application & including family members up to 16 years of age) Gamekeeper (including his wife or partner)
Senior Citizen
Junior Membership

Bona fide Gamekeeper members and Senior Citizens shall benefit from a reduced subscription and they shall have all the rights and privileges, including voting, of ordinary membership

Subscriptions shall be payable on 1st January each year or upon being elected to membership. No personal reminders will be issued but a reminder will be sent with the notice for the Annual General Meeting.

Membership and Association privileges and rights shall lapse when a subscription is two calendar months in arrears.

9  Voting Rights
Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership. Each adult member of a Joint Membership is entitled to one vote. Junior Members have no voting rights. In the event of there
being more than one nomination for the position of an Officer or Committee Member there shall be a secret ballot of members present at the Annual General Meeting.
If, however a member is unable to attend the Annual General Meeting he / she can apply for a postal ballot form in writing from the Secretary enclosing an S.A.E. The ballot form to be returned to the secretary in the envelope provided. These will be handed to the tellers at the Annual General Meeting and included in the ballot. A member having forwarded a postal vote and subsequently attending the AGM is not eligible to vote at the meeting.

No member shall vote with regard to any matter in which he has a financial interest and shall declare any such interest he may have.

10  Expulsion of Members
If the Canine Section expels any member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions, the organisation will report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars if required.

No person suspended under Kennel Club Rules shall be a member of the Canine Section of any affiliated organisation and should any person under suspension be allowed to remain a member; the Officers and Committee of the organisation may be dealt with under Rule A42 of the Kennel C+lub.

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

Notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be sent to the accused member giving the particulars of the complaint and advising the place, date, and time of the meeting so that he 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 name shall forthwith be erased from the list of members and he shall thereupon cease for all purposes be to a member of the Association except that he may appeal to The Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as The Kennel Club may impose.

11  Notices
A notice may be given to any member: –

a) By intimation in the dog press,
b) Personally
or
c) By sending it by post to him at his registered address.

Where a notice is sent by post, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre-paying and posting it. The notice will be deemed to be effected seven days after posting to a member’s address in the United Kingdom or fourteen days to an address overseas.

12  Financial Year
The financial year of the Association shall be from 1st January until 31st December

13  Association Accounts
The Association shall have a banking account and the bank shall be empowered to honour ALL cheques drawn on that account and signed by two of the following three: Chairman, Honorary Treasurer or Honorary Secretary.

14  Auditors
Auditors shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting; they shall NOT be Committee members.

15  Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting shall be held before 1st April and shall be after the audited accounts are available. At least twenty-eight clear days notice of an Annual General Meeting shall be given to all members, the agenda being available fourteen clear days prior to the Meeting.

The purpose of the Annual General Meeting shall be: –
a) To receive the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting;
b) To receive the audited Balance Sheet of the Association’s accounts; c) To receive the Honorary Secretary’s report;
d) To receive the Honorary Treasurer’s report;
e) To elect Officers, committee Members and an Auditor
f) To discuss any resolutions or other items on the agenda of which prior notice has been given. Such resolutions or other items shall be in the hands of the Honorary Secretary not less than twenty-eight clear days before the date of the meeting.

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.

Should any member at the Annual General Meeting wish to appeal against a ruling of the Chairman, he shall make a formal proposal to that effect immediately stating the grounds for this action. This proposal shall be seconded by another member. The Chairman shall then be entitled, should he so choose, to make a statement explaining the grounds for the ruling. No further discussion shall take place.

16  Extraordinary General Meetings
An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the General Committee at any time, or on the requisition in writing of not less than five per cent of the membership of the Association, addressed to the Honorary Secretary and stating the business to be discussed.

Notice of the meeting shall be circulated to all members, stating the business to be discussed, not less than fourteen clear days before the date of the meeting. No business other than that specifically stated in the notice shall be considered at such a meeting.

The Chairman of the meeting shall, in the event of an equality of votes, have a casting vote.

17  The Kennel Club – The Final Court of Appeal
The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the Rules and Regulations of the Association in all cases relative to canine or Association matters.

18  Dissolution or Winding-up of the Association
The Association may be dissolved and wound-up provided that a resolution to that effect has been passed by a majority of seventy-five percent of the members present and voting at a General Meeting of which notice to propose the resolution has been duly given. In the event of the Association ceasing to exist, the property of the Association shall where possible be returned to the donors, their heirs, executors or assigns. Cash assets shall be distributed as decided at a General Meeting and a final Statement of Audited Accounts, with a record of the disposal of the Association’s property, shall be forwarded to The Kennel Club within six months.

The persons named as Officers and Committee on the last return supplied to The Kennel Club will be held responsible for the proper winding-up of the Association.

19  Indemnity
The members of the Committee and of any sub-committee thereof, the Officers of the Association and the Auditors shall be indemnified out of the funds of the Association against all loss, costs and charges which they may respectively incur or be put to on account of any contract, deed, act, matter or thing done, entered into, executed or permitted by them respectively on behalf of the Association and each of them shall be chargeable only for so much money as he may actually receive and they shall not be answerable for the acts, receipts, neglects or defaults of each other but each of them for his own acts, receipts, neglects and defaults only. Neither they nor their heirs, executors, or administrators shall be liable for any loss or expense happening to the Association through the insufficiency or deficiency of title to any property acquired for or on behalf of the Association or for the insufficiency or deficiency of any obligation or security in or upon which any of the funds arising from the bankruptcy, insolvency or wrongful act of any person with whom monies, securities or effects shall be deposited or for any loss, damage, or misfortune whatsoever which shall happen in the execution of duties of his office, or in relation thereto unless the same shall happen through his own fraud, wilful neglect, defaults, breach of duty or breach of trust.

20  Federation
The Association shall not join any Federation of Clubs, Societies, or Associations.

21  Breed Standard
The Kennel Club Breed Standards may only be amended by The Kennel Club’s General Committee. The Association may propose alterations to The Kennel Club for consideration. The Kennel Club requires evidence that such proposals have the approval of the Association and that the proposals for amendments have been agreed by the membership at a General Meeting.