Arun & Downiand Gundog Society
RULES & REGULATIONS
         
1.   The name of the organisation shall be The Arun & Downiand Gundog Society.
      The objects of the Society shall be:
          a) To encourage gundog owners to understand and train their dogs with the object of them becoming proficient in the shooting field.
          b) To educate dog owners to teach their dogs to be well-behaved at all times.
          c) To organise social activities of interest to the members.
         
2. The Society shall consist of an unlimited number of members without residential qualifications and whose names and addresses shall be recorded by the Secretary.

3. The Committee shall consist of Officers: Chairman; Vice-Chairman; Secretary; Treasurer; Field Trial Secretary; Working Test Secretary and a General Committee of not more than six members. One third of the Committee shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election. The quorum shall be four.
         
4. The Officers and the Committee for the coming year shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations shall be made in writing with the written consent of the nominee and shall be sent by post to the Secretary to arrive no later than seven clear days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. Election of Officers and Committee shall be made at the Annual General Meeting by ballot.
          a) Voting at all meetings to be done by a show of hands unless otherwise arranged.
          b) The Chairman to have the casticsg vote and whose ruling upon any point shall be binding at the meeting.
          c) Should it be necessary for the Committee to co-opt any one onto the Committee during the Society’s year, that person or persons shall present themselves to the members at the next AGM for formal election to the Committee, that these nominations for the Committee should not be included in the one-third of the Committee that stands for re-election in that year.
         
5. The Annual General Meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Committee shall appoint and 21 days notice in writing, sent by post, shall be given to all members. The Annual General Meeting shall be held for the purpose of:
          a) To receive the report of the Committee and Audited Accounts.
          b) To elect Officers and Committee members.
          c) To discuss any resolution duly placed on the agenda, of which fourteen days prior notice has been given to the Secretary. No business shall be entered into at the AGM unless notice thereof appears on the agenda, with the exception of routine matters which in the opinion of the Chairman of the meeting are urgent.
         
6. The Society must make a list of all members and their addresses to be available for inspection if so requested by the Kennel Club and also members of the Society. The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year Maintenance of the Title Fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for the continuance of Registration and that by the end of the month following the AGM all such returns, as stipulated in the Kennel Club regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Authorities, will be forwarded to the Club. Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.
         
7. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called at any time upon 14 days notice being given by the Committee, or Secretary, upon receiving a requisition duly signed by at least six members. Not less than ten members to form a quorum at a general meeting. No business other than the matter on the agenda can be discussed at an Extraordinary General Meeting.

8. The Rules of the Society shall not be altered except at a General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting.
         
9. Any member nf the Cnmmittee being absent at three consecutive meetings shall have their attention drawn to the fact and unless a reasonable excuse be forthcoming such member’s scat on the Committee shall become vacant.
         
10.   Candidates for membership of this Society shall be proposed and seconded by two fully paid up members, and elected or balloted for by the Committee at one of their meetings. Two negative votes shall exclude a candidate from membership.
           (New) Life Membership Rules
           a.Candidates for membership....................from membership
           b. Any nomination for a Life Membership should be proposed and seconded to the Secretary in
             writing. The person nominated should have been a member of The Arun & Downland Gundog
             Society for a minimum of ten years, or have served as an officer on the committee for a minimum
             of five years, and be widely acknowledged to have served the society in an exemplary and selfless
             manner over a considerable period.
         
            The committee will consider the application at the next available committee meeting where an
             unanimous vote in favour must be recorded for the application to proceed.
        
             If the application proceeds, the proposed Life Membership will be confirmed at the next AGM. If
             any Life Membership proposal is rejected by the committee no further application for the same
             nominee may be submitted to the committee for a period of three years.
             If any Life Member, shall subsequently be expelled from the society under the provision of
             sectioo 11 of the ‘Aruo & Downland Rules and Regulations’, the Life Membership of that
             individual shall be rescinded.
          c. Honorary Membership. Nominations for non members of the Society to become Honorary
             Members for the next year only, in recognition of help they have given the society, should be
             proposed and seconded to the Secretary in writing.
         
11.   Any Member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42j (4) and/or disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42j (8) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Society for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification. If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Society, be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character of interests of the Society, the Committee of the Society may, at a meeting, the notice convening which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of the Member, determine that a Special Geoeral Meeting of the Society shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her. Notice of the Special General Meeting of the Society 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 the place, date and hour of the Meeting that he/she may atteod and offer an explanation. If at the Meeting, a resolution of expel is passed by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting, his/her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of Members, and he/she shall thereupon cease for all purposes be a member of the Society except that he/she may, within two calendar mooths from the date of such Meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.
         
12.   The financial year of the Society shall be from 2nd February to 1st February. The annual subscription for the following year is to be recommended by the Committee to the Annual General Meeting and be payable upon election and thereafter on 2nd February each year. 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 subscriptioo by 1st April, the Committee shall have the power to erase their name from the list of members. But if the Committee shall subsequently receive a satisfactory explanation, the Member may at the discretion of the Committee and on payment of arrears, be re-admitted to membership.

13.   An Account shall be opened with a bank in the name of the Society into which the revenue of the Society shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signature of two officers. The Accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer and an auditor shall be appointed at each AGM who shall audit the Accounts for the ensuing year before the Society’s Annual General Meeting.
         
14.   The management of the Society and the property shall be vested in the Committee.
         
15.   The Committee shall have powers of making bye-laws and deciding upon matters not provided by the rules. The Kennel Club shall be the final authority for interpreting the rules of the Society and in all matters relating to canine or Society matters.
         
16.   in the event of the Society ceasing to exist all assets must go to a similar charitable club, decided upon by a General Meeting and not to the Members.
         
17.   Rule 16 may not be altered at any future meeting.
         
18.   The Kennel Club shall be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute.
         
19.   The Society will not join any federation of societies of clubs.