ORGANISATION

Constitution | Banking Details | Affiliation

Constitution of the All Breeds Cat Club

(As amended March 1998.)

1. TITLE

The name of the Club shall be the ALL BREEDS CAT CLUB

2. HEADQUARTERS

   The Headquarters of the club shall be in Cape Town or its suburbs.

3. OBJECTIVES

   The objectives of the club shall be:

   1. to encourage the breeding of cats to the highest standard,
   2. to hold shows, and promote interest in, and knowledge of, cats,
   3. to advance in every way possible the interest of breeders, exhibitors and the Club members, and to promote the welfare of all cats and establish friendly relations among all those interested in cats,
   4. to co-operate with, affiliate with or to join any societies, bodies or associations, whether provincial, national or international, having objects wholly or in part similar to those of this club.
   5. to donate annually to a charitable organization or a organization devoted to the welfare of cats,
   6. to run the Club as a non-profit-making organization and to devote any surplus realized by the club to the furtherance of the objectives of the Club.

4. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

   The Club may sue or be sued in any court of law in its name and be represented in any legal proceedings by any person or persons delegated for such purpose by the committee.

5. MEMBERSHIP
   1. Persons of good character interested in the objectives of the Club shall be eligible for membership.
   2. Applications for membership duly signed by the Applicant and by a proposer being a member of the Club in good standing shall be sent to the club and voted upon at the next Committee meeting. Such applications shall be accompanied by payment of the first year's subscription, except in the case of an application submitted after June 30 when the amount accompanied shall be in respect of one half year's subscription for the current year plus the full subscription for the following year, or the fee applicable for the membership, as the case may be.
   3. The Club shall consist of Life members, Family members, Full members, Junior members, Pensioner members and Honorary members.
   4. Junior members shall consist of children under (16) sixteen years of age. Junior members shall not be eligible to the Committee and shall not be entitled to vote at any meetings of the Club.
   5. The Committee shall have the power to confer an Honorary membership on any person they consider has rendered exceptional service to the Club. Such Honorary membership shall carry the privileges of Full membership.
   6. The fiscal year shall run from January to December and the annual subscription shall fall due on the first day of January each year. Any Club member who fails to pay his or her dues by the 31 March of each year shall, ipso facto, cease to be a member of the Club and his/her name may be deleted from the Club Role at the discretion of the committee.
   7. A member wishing to terminate his/her membership of the Club may do so on written notification to the Secretary of such intention, the resignation to take effect from the date of posting of a written acceptance by the Secretary to each member concerned. Any member so resigning shall not be entitled to a refund of any subscriptions nor any other dues paid by him/her to the Club during membership of the club nor have any claim whatsoever against the Club or its property.
   8. Except for any honorarium or salary approved by the Committee, no member of the Club shall be allowed to make the club a means of private profit or gain unless as also approved by the committee in special circumstances.

6. CONDUCT OF MEMBERS

   Any member who uses the Club for personal gain without Committee approval or whose conduct in any way in or out of the club is such that the Committee considers his or her continued membership to be detrimental to the character, interest or well-being of the club may be expelled by resolution of two-thirds of committee members present at a meeting complying with Clause 12.9 of this Constitution. The member concerned shall be given ten (10) days' notice by registered post of the meeting at which his/her case is to be heard.

7. PATRONS

   The Club shall have patrons who shall be elected by the committee.

8. COMMITTEE AND OFFICE BEARERS
   1. The Committee shall consist of not less than 6 (six) and not more than 15 (fifteen) members. If at any time the number is less than 15 (fifteen) the Committee shall have the right to co-opt Club members to fill vacancies up to the maximum of 15 (fifteen). The Committee shall also have power to co-opt by unanimous vote not more than two (2) additional members of the Club by virtue of their special knowledge to assist the Committee in special circumstances and matters relevant to their knowledge. All nominated, elected and co-opted persons to the Committee shall, apart from being members of the Club, be in good standing at the time.
   2. The new Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting by ballot or show of hands howsoever that meeting shall decide. If necessary such election may be held at an Extraordinary General Meeting. The members shall ordinarily be elected for a period of three (3) years. One third of their members shall retire each year and shall on retirement be considered eligible for re-election.
   3. The office Bearers of the Club shall be Chairman, one or more Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the same person. All Office Bearers shall be elected by the Committee at its first meeting in each Club year form amongst its members. They shall hold office for one Club year and until their successors are elected. The Chairman and Vice Chairman shall have served for at least one year on the Committee prior to their election to these positions.
   4. In the event of the positions of Vice Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer becoming vacant the Committee may at their discretion co-opt a Club member and/or elect one of their number to serve in the necessary capacity for the remainder of the term of office.
   5. Any member of the Committee failing to attend without a reasonable excuse three (3) consecutive meetings, shall cease to be a member of the Committee.
   6. The affairs of the Club shall be managed by the Committee.

9. HONORARY VETERINARY SURGEONS

   One or more honorary veterinary surgeons shall be elected by members at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.

10. DUTIES OF COMMITTEE AND OFFICE BEARERS
    1. The chairman shall be Chief Executive Officer, shall preside at all meetings and perform duties consistent with the office. He shall be a member ex officio of all committees, and shall appoint such special committees as shall be necessary, with the approval of the Committee.
    2. The Vice Chairman shall perform the duties of the chairman in his absence or upon his resignation.
    3. The treasurer shall have custody of all monies of the Club, shall open and operate a banking account in the name of the Club, the signatures being the Treasurer with the Chairman or Vice Chairman or a designated Committee member, and he shall keep book accounts of receipts and expenditures. All expenses properly incurred with the concurrence of the Committee shall be paid by the Treasurer out of the funds of the Club. No individual shall be deemed to incur any personal liability in respect thereof. The Treasurer shall render an audited report at Annual General Meetings, which shall be posted to each member of the Club together with the notice convening the Annual General meeting.
    4. The financial books of the Club shall be open for inspection to any member of the Club in good standing at any reasonable time.
    5. An Auditor, not being a member of the Committee, shall be elected for the current year at each Annual General Meeting. Should such Auditor be prevented for any cause from carrying out his duties, the Committee shall appoint another in his stead. Such Auditor shall examine the books, accounts and vouchers for the Financial Year and certify the Financial Statement which shall be presented at the Annual General Meeting.
    6. The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings and a register of all Club members with their addresses, attend to correspondence and shall perform any other duties consistent with the office.
    7. The Committee shall have power to deal with any matter not provided for in the Club Constitution, and to carry out all acts conducive to the well-being and attainments of the objectives of the club.
    8. The Club's financial year shall start on 1st January and finish on 31 December each year.

11. DUES
    1. All members other than honorary members shall pay all dues as prescribed by the Committee from time to time. Annual subscriptions are payable in accordance with the requirements of Clause 5.6 of this Constitution. Life members pay the relevant prescribed amount in one payment only.
    2. A family membership shall consist of husband and/or wife who shall be considered as Full member(s). Junior members of the same family and residing at the same address can be included in the same subscription providing they are registered as members of the Club.
    3. In the case of persons applying for membership of the Club, accompanying subscriptions payable shall be in accordance with the requirements of Clause 5.2 of this Constitution.
    4. The above-mentioned subscriptions shall be subject to change at the discretion of the Committee.

12. MEETINGS
    1. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held by not later than 31 December in each year, on such date at such venue as may be decided upon by the Committee. The Agenda of an Annual General Meeting shall include the following:
       1. Confirmation of the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting.
       2. Chairman's report
       3. Treasurer's report
       4. Election of the Committee as provided for in the constitution, and may include any other business which an Annual General Meeting is empowered to deal with in terms of the constitution. Full and precise details of such further business shall be placed on the Agenda at the Committee's own motion or on the written requisition of a proposer and seconder who must be members of the Club in good standing, sent by registered post to the Secretary in writing but not later than the 31 December in each year.
    2. Extraordinary General Meetings of the Club may be called by:
       1. The Chairman at any time
       2. The Secretary after receipt by him of a request in writing to hold such a Meeting stating the nature of the business to be discussed thereat and signed by a minimum of twenty (20) of the members of the Club entitled to vote. The Secretary shall call such Meetings within three (3) weeks after receipt by him of the said request.
    3. Written notice to all General or Extraordinary General Meetings shall be posted to each member of the Club fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting, stating the business for which such meeting is to be held.
    4. The quorum at all General Meetings of the Club shall be twenty five (25) Club members entitled to vote. If within a quarter of an hour from the time appointed for such General Meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting may at the Chairman's discretion stand adjourned until further notice, but not later than four (4) weeks, and if at such an adjourned or continued meeting a quorum is not present, those members who are present shall constitute a quorum and may transact the business for which the meeting was called.
    5. Voting at any meetings of the Club shall be by show of hands, or ballot, as the meeting may decide.
    6. Nominations for election by the Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting duly proposed and seconded by members in good standing and signed by the candidate, shall be received by the Secretary not later than seven (7) days before the Meeting.
    7. At all Annual General Meetings, General Meetings, Extraordinary General Meetings, Committee Meetings and Sub-Committee Meetings of the Club, the Chairman only shall have a second or casting vote as well as a deliberative one.
    8. The Committee shall meet at least six (6) times during each fiscal year.
    9. The quorum at all meetings of the Committee shall be six (6) persons.
    10. Notwithstanding the provisions set out in sub-clause 12.1.4 of this Constitution, any member of the Club in good standing, who may wish to raise a contentious or any matter which may be of serious nature at any General Meeting of the Club, shall lodge with the Secretary in writing fourteen (14) days prior to such a meeting, the matter he/she intends raising.
    11. No reports on any Annual General Meetings, General Meetings, Extraordinary General Meetings, Committee Meetings and Sub-Committee Meetings of the Club may be sent to the press without written consent of the Committee.

13. AMENDMENTS

    This constitution may only be amended by a two-thirds majority of the members eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting or any Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club, provided that the text of the amendment shall have been sent to each Club Member fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting.

14. DISSOLUTION

    In the event of the Committee determining that the Club be dissolved, such shall be conveyed as a recommendation to either a General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting of members and if confirmed and agreed to, a decision shall be taken at such meeting to realize all assets of the Club and after paying all the debts pass the residue therefrom to the Club's successor nominated at the meeting. Failing any such successor it shall be competent for the meeting to donate or contribute such residual monies to any body or bodies whose main objectives shall be the welfare of cats or, failing that, of other domestic animals. Power to execute these decisions may be vested in any person or persons nominated by the meeting.

Banking Details

Affiliation

The All Breeds Cat Club (ABCC) is an associated cat club of the
South African Cat Council (SACC). Since 1972.