Committee

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Name
Objectives
Attaining objectives
Property of the association
Powers of the club (as conferred by section 15 of the act)
Memberships
Subscriptions
Termination of memberships
Management committee
Powers of the management committee
Election of the officers
Officers
Auditor
General meetings
Voting
Finance
Alterations of the constitution and by laws
Dissolution

Introduction

What is the Fairfield Members Golf Club Constitution?

A constitution is a basic set of rules for the daily running of your club or group.

It details for your members and others the name, objects, and methods of management and other conditions under which your club or group operates and generally the reasons for its existence. It also regulates the relationship between members by setting out the basis for working with other co-members.

WHY DO WE NEED A CONSTITUTION?

Constitutions:

Explain to members and non-members what your group is about.

Provide guidelines for the daily running of your group.

Help to sort out internal problems.

Is a legal necessity if your group wishes to become incorporated.

Can help in seeking resources from other organisations, such as a government agency.

Name

The name of the Association/Club is Fairfield Members Golf Club hereinafter referred to as the “Club”

Objectives

The objectives of the Club are:

2.1.1 The basic objects of the Club shall be to promote, develop and co-ordinate the sport of Golf of all types, and at all levels, in any region of Fairfield that the Committee deems to be beneficial and practicable.

2.2 In addition to the basic objects of the Club, the objects and purposes of the Club shall be deemed to include –

2.2.1 The purchasing, leasing, hiring or otherwise acquiring of any real or personal property that may be deemed necessary or convenient for any of the objects or purposes of the Club ;

2.2.2 The buying, selling and supplying of, and dealing in, goods of all kinds (within legal bounds);

2.2.3 The construction, maintenance, and alteration of buildings or works necessary or convenient for any of the objects or purposes of the Club;

2.2.4 The accepting of any gift for any one or more of the objects or purposes of the Club;

2.2.5 The procuring of contributions to the funds of the Club, whether by way of donation, subscriptions, sponsorship or otherwise;

2.2.6 The printing and publishing of such newspapers, periodicals, books, leaflets or other media as the Committee, or members in general meeting, may think desirable for the objects and purposes of the Club;

2.2.7 The raising of money in such manners and on such terms as the Committee may see fit on behalf of the Club, but not borrowing from financial institutions;

2.2.8 The purchase or acquisition, and undertaking, of all or any part of the property, assets, liabilities and engagements of any association with which the Club is amalgamated in accordance with the provisions of the Acts and rules of the Club;

2.2.9 The hire of persons or groups to undertake any such things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the basic objects or purposes of the Club;

2.2.10 The doing of all such other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the basic objects or purposes of the Club.

Attaining Objectives

The Club shall be empowered to do all things necessary which are incidental to and necessary for the attainment of the objectives of the Club.

Property of the association

The Club must apply all property and income of the association towards the promotion of the objects or purposes of the association.  No part of that property or income to be paid or otherwise distributed, directly or indirectly, to members of the Club, except in good faith in the promotion of those objects or purposes.

Powers of the club

5.1 To acquire, hold, deal with, and dispose of any real or personal property;

5.2 To open and operate bank accounts;

5.3 To invest its money -(i) in any security in which trust moneys may be Invested; or

(ii) in any other manner authorised by the rules of the Club;

5.4 To build, construct, erect, maintain, alter and repair any premises building or, other structure of any kind and to furnish equip and improve the same for use by the Club;

5.5 Accept donations and gifts in accordance with the objects of the Club. Gifts and Donations must be recorded in the Gift Register, which is under the providence of the Treasurer. All Gifts and Donations must be lodged with the Treasurer, or hiss delegate within 14 days of acceptance.

5.6 Print and publish any information by any media including newsletters, newspapers, articles or leaflets for promotion of the Club;

5.7 Provide gifts and prizes in accordance with the objects of the Club;

5.8 Organise social events for Members and the promotion of the Cub; and

5.9 To enter into any other contract the Club considers necessary or desirable.

memberships

6.1 Membership shall be open to any person who wishes to further the interests of the Club.

6.2 Any person seeking membership shall make application to the Fairfield Golf Course Management, and the Fairfield Members Golf Club Management Committee shall determine whether the application is successful or not.

6.3 Each person admitted to membership shall be;

6.3.1 Bound by the Constitution and By-laws of the Club.

6.3.2 Come liable for such fees and subscriptions as may be fixed by the Club.

6.3.3 Entitled to all advantages and privileges of membership.

6.4 Membership Categories:

6.4.1 ORDINARY MEMBER

Any person who is a financial member of the Club. and enjoy the privileges of the Club.

6.4.2 SOCIAL MEMBER

Persons other than ordinary members who are interested in promoting the Club, but who do not wish to participate in the playing activities of the Club, may become a Social Member.

6.4.3 JUNIOR MEMBER

Any person under the age of 18 years may become a Junior Member.

Junior Members shall have no voting rights nor be entitled to hold any office.

6.4.4 LIFE MEMBERSHIP

The Management Committee as a Life Member may elect any member who has given outstanding service to the Club. Any member may nominate a person to the Management Committee for consideration for Life Membership.

6.4.5 PATRON

The Club may, at its discretion, elect a patron’s or vice patron’s of the Club for such period as may be deemed necessary .Such patron’s or vice patron’s shall not be eligible to vote unless they are current members of the Club under another category of membership.

6.5 A member may at any reasonable time inspect the records and documents of the Club.

6.6 Any member may stand for a position on the Committee of the club, after a 12 month membership has been completed.

Subscriptions

7.1 (to be paid by different classes as and when they are due)

Termination of memberships

8.1 Any person’s membership may be terminated by the following events:

8.1.1 resignation

8.1.2 expulsion

8.1.3 a member’s annual membership fee remains unpaid after 3 months after falling due;

8.2 The Management Committee shall have the power to suspend or expel any member of the Club for:

8.2.1 any of the events in Item 8.1

8.2.2 false or inaccurate statements made in the member’s application for membership of the Club,

8.2.3 breach of any rule, regulation or by-law of the Club and 8.2.4 by any act detrimental to the Club.

After having undertaken due inquiry.

8.3 Any member who is expelled, suspended or has their membership terminated, shall have the right to appeal against their suspension or expulsion by presenting their case to a General Meeting called for such purpose, and the decision of the General Meeting shall be final.

Management Committee

(1) sometimes called Executive Committee.

(2) Committee persons are sometimes referred to as Office Bearers.

(3) The main Office Bearers are often referred to as The Executive.

a. The affairs of the Club shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee comprising of;

• The President
• The Vice President
• The Secretary
• The Treasurer
• The Handicapper
• The Captain

Additional Committee Members are made up of the following:

• Procurement Officer
• Publicity Officer
• Four (4) Match Committee’ Members

b. The day to day management of the Club shall be the responsibility of a management Sub-Committee comprising of;

• The Secretary
• The Captain
• The Treasurer
• The Vice President
• The Handicapper

A quorum shall be 3 members.

9.1 Management of the Club shall be vested in the Management Committee elected by the members at the Annual General Meeting and consisting of:

9.1.1 President (Term of office two years)

9.1.2 Vice President (Term of office two years)

9.1.3 Secretary (Term of office two years)

9.1.4 Treasurer (Term of office two years)

9.1.5 Handicapper (Term of office two years)

9.1.6 Club Captain (Term of office two years)

9.1.7 Committee Members (Number to be nominated) (Term of office one year)

9.2 No person shall hold more than one position on the Management Committee at anyone time. A person shall cease to be a member of the Management Committee at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting which follows his/her election and he will be eligible for re-election.

9.3 A quorum of the Management Committee shall be half of its members plus one.

9.4 If the President or Vice President is unable to attend, then a chairperson nominated by the meeting shall chair that meeting.

9.5 A member of the management committee may lose his or her seat on the committee for either of the following;

Absence from three or more meetings without leave of absence.

Found not to be a financial member.

9.6 The term of the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, handicapper and club captain shall be two years. The remaining members of the committee will have a term of one year.

At the AGM the election of the president, treasurer and handicapper will be offset by one year to the election of the vice president, secretary and Club Captain, alternating so that three members of the executive committee can add guidance and stability to the new committee.

Seven members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum which must include any 4 of the Executive .

That the term of office for all officials elected at the Annual General Meeting commences from the end of that meeting.

The Golf Club Manager and /or Representative’s] of Fairfield Golf Club management “will” be invited to attend committee meetings.

Powers of Management Committee

10.1 The Management Committee shall carry out the day-to-day running of the Club and shall have the power to:

10.1.1 Administer the finances, appoint bankers, and direct the opening of banking accounts for specific purposes and to transfer funds from one account to another, and to close any such account;

10.1.2 Fix the manner in which such banking accounts shall be operated upon, providing the Management Committee passes all payments;

10.1.3 Fix fees and subscriptions payable by members and decide such levies, fines and charges as is deemed necessary and advisable, and to enforce payment thereof;

10.1.4 Adjudicate on all matters brought before it which in any way affect the Club.

10.1.5 Cause minutes to be made of all proceedings at meetings of the Committee and General Meetings of members;

10.1.6 Make, amend and rescind rulings and By-laws;

10.1.7 Have the power to form and appoint any sub committee/s as required for specific purposes;

10.1.8 May at their discretion employ a person or persons to carry out certain duties required by the Club, at salaries or remunerations for such period of time, as may be deemed necessary.

10.1.9 Should a vacancy occur on the Management Committee during the season, the Management Committee shall appoint a successor until the next Annual General Meeting.

10.1.10 Appoint an officer/s or agent of the Management Committee to have custody of the Club’s records, documents and securities.

Election of the Officers

a. The election of officers shall take place only at an A.G.M. or E.G.M. of The Club.

b. Notice of the positions to be filled shall be posted on the notice board within the clubhouse at least 30 calendar days before the General Meeting.

c. Nominations shall be invited from eligible members and the nomination form shall include the name and signature of the nominee and the names of the proposer and seconder. To be eligible for nomination for election to the Committee, a candidate must have been an adult member of the club for at least one year and has paid their committee costs fees.

d. Nominations will be accepted from the time the notice required under rule 6(B) is posted on the notice board until 7 days before the date of the General Meeting, when the notice will be withdrawn by The Committee.

e. In the event that the number of valid nominations received is fewer than the number of vacant positions, the vacant offices may be filled by any adult member these being co-opted onto The Committee at the discretion of The Committee.

f. The election of President shall be conducted as follows; The main Committee shall appoint a Sub-Committee, this Sub-Committee shall compile a ’short list’ of eligible candidates and advise the main Committee, who in turn shall make a recommendation to the AGM.

g. If any officer is unable to continue in that office until the end of his/her term, the committee shall appoint a suitable member to fulfil that office until the next AGM.

Officers

12.1 PRESIDENT

The President shall represent the standard that the Club strives to achieve. He will oversee all aspects of Club activities, offering guidance through experience. The position of President should be an acknowledgement of an individual who has afforded time and effort for the wellbeing of the Club.

The President shall be responsible for convening and controlling all Committee meetings. He shall have the right to vote on any issue, He shall accept overall responsibility for the correct management of The Club’s affairs.

12.2 VICE PRESIDENT

Fills in for the President in their absence and chairs sub committees, such as :

a. Match Committee

b. Discipline Committee

Guidelines for sub-committee are catered for outside the guidelines of the constitution.

12.3 SECRETARY

The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the club and shall have custody of all documents and books belonging to the club except those entrusted to the Treasurer. He shall keep full and correct minutes of all meetings of the Committee. He shall issue all notices required by the Constitution. He shall oversee the Club’s internet site. He shall perform any other duties as may be determined by the Committee.

12.4 TREASURER

The Treasurer shall receive all monies due to and pay all monies owed by the club. He shall maintain accurate records of accounts and shall produce a report of the financial affairs of the club at any time on the direction of the Committee.

A member shall not be accepted for election as Treasurer unless he is also:

(a) a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia

(b) or the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants

(c) Is a Certified Accountant

(d) What about Institute of Public Accountants

(e) Has education Qualifications in Accountancy or Book Keeping,

(f) a member whom the Returning Officer considers, on reasonable grounds, to have qualifications and/or experience appropriate for the competent discharge of the functions of that office.

12.5 HANDICAPPER

The Handicapper shall be responsible for the maintenance and amendment of member’s handicap records and shall answer all questions involving the rules of the handicapping system.

Check competition cards following the game and sort results for placing’s and Novelty Prizes. Promulgate results to media and enter into GolfLink

12.6 CAPTAIN

The Captain shall be responsible for all the golfing activities connected with membership of the Club. The Club Captain is to work closely with the Course Manager and Course Liaison Officer in all areas that effect the Golf Course. Other duties include preparation of Novelty Prize markers .

Other duties include the ordering of Trophies for Club Championships and other events.

Note – Club Captain may be asked to perform the duties of any office bearer not filled on a temporary basis.

12.7 OTHER MEMBERS

Other Members of the Committee shall be required to act in the best interest of the club and shall undertake specific tasks as determined by the Committee.

All members of the Committee shall maintain appropriate confidentiality on all matters coming to their notice whilst serving on the Committee.

j. Selected members of the Committee receive ‘Honorariums’ to acknowledge their extra ‘workloads’ whilst serving on the Committee, the honorariums shall be reviewed annually by the committee and be given to the following members of the Committee.

• The Secretary
• The Treasurer
• The Club Captain
• The Handicapper

Honorariums are to be discussed and agreed by the Committee, these can take the form of small non-monetary items.

Committee Members shall receive an honorarium in the form of a Committee Shirt, that identifies Committee Members from normal members.

Auditor

13.1 The Annual General Meeting shall elect or appoint an Auditor or Auditors.

13.2 The Auditor/s shall examine and audit all the books and accounts of the Club annually, and have the power to call for all books, papers, accounts, receipts etc., of the Club and report thereon to the Annual Genera Meeting.

General Meetings

14.1 Annual General Meeting

14.1.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Club must be held within four months of the end of the club’s financial year.

14.1.2 The Secretary shall give at least fourteen (14) days notice of the date of the Annual General Meeting, to members.

14.1.3 All financial members may attend the Annual General Meeting.

14.1.4 The quorum at the Annual General Meeting, shall be a minimum of 30 members. If, at the end of 30 minutes after the time appointed in the notice for the opening of the Meeting, there be no quorum the meeting shall stand and adjourn for one week. If at such meeting there is no quorum those members present shall be competent to discharge the business of the meeting.

14.1.5 The agenda for an Annual General Meeting shall be:

Opening of Meeting

Apologies

Confirmation of Minutes of previous Annual General Meeting

Presentation of Annual Report

Adoption of Annual Report

Presentation of Treasurer’s statement :

Election of New Executive and appointment of Auditor

Vote of thanks to outgoing Executive

Notice/s of Motion and amendments to the Constitution

Urgent general business

Closure.

14.2 General Meetings

14.2.1 General Meetings may be called by the Management Committee or at the request of the President and Secretary or on the written request of members of the Club.

14.2.2 The Secretary shall give at least seven (7) days notice, in writing, of the date of the General Meeting to the members. Notice of General Meetings shall set out clearly the business for which the meeting has been called. No other business shall be dealt with at that General Meeting.

14.2.3 The quorum at the General Meeting shall be a minimum of 30 members.

Voting

15.1 Voting powers at the Annual General Meeting and General Meetings:

15.1.1 The President or their delegate shall be entitled to a deliberate vote and, in the event of a tied vote, the President shall exercise a casting vote.

15.1.2 Each individual financial member present shall have one (1) vote.

15.2 Voting powers at Management Committee Meetings;

15.2.1 The President or their delegate shall be entitled to a deliberate vote, and, in the event of a tied vote, the President shall exercise a casting vote.

15.2.2 Each individual committee member present shall have one (1) vote.

Finance

16.1 All funds of the Club shall be deposited into the Club’s accounts at such bank or recognised financial institution as the Management Committee may determine.

16.2 All accounts due by the Club shall be paid by cheque or Internet transfer after having being passed for payment at the Management Committee Meeting and when immediate payment is necessary, accounts shall be paid and the action endorsed at the next Management Committee Meeting.

16.3 The Treasurer is empowered to pay small expenditures, not exceeded $300.00, without Executive Committee Approval. Records of all transactions must be recorded and paid by Cheque or from the Petty Cash used for miscellaneous income and expenses.

16.4 A statement showing the financial position of the Club shall be tabled at each Management Committee Meeting by the Treasurer.

16.5 A statement of Income and Expenditure, Assets and Liabilities shall be submitted to the Annual General Meeting. The auditor’s report shall be attached to such financial report, if requested by the Committee. An Auditor’s report should always be performed for any out-going treasurer.

16.6 The financial year of the Club shall commence on 1st July each year. The accounts, books and all financial records of the Club shall be audited each year, where possible.

16.7 The signatories to the Club’s account/s will be the Treasurer. The Treasurer will ensure (2) from the following;

President

Vice President

Secretary

Club Captain/Handicapper

Are signatories to the Bank account, and have Internet access to monitor account balances and verify what has been presented in the Treasurer’s report.

16.8 All property and income of the Club will apply solely to the promotion of the objects of the Club and no part of that property or income shall be paid or otherwise distributed, directly, or indirectly, to members, except in good faith in the promotion of these objects.

Alterations of the consitutions and by-laws

17.1 No alteration, repeal or addition shall be made to the Constitution except at the Annual General Meeting, or General Meeting, called for that purpose and notice of all motions to alter, repeal or add to the Constitution shall be given to members fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual General Meeting, or seven (7) days prior to a General Meeting called for such purpose.

17.2 The Secretary shall forward such notices of motion to each Management Committee member at least fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual General Meeting or seven (7) days prior to a General Meeting.

17.3 Alterations to the By-laws can be made only at Management Committee Meetings provided notice of the proposed alterations has been duly notified to Committee Members.

17.4 Such motions, or any part thereof, shall be of no effect unless passed by a seventy five percent (75%) majority (Special Resolution) of those present and entitled to a vote at the Annual General Meeting, General Meeting or Management Committee Meeting, as the case may be.

Dissolution

If, on the winding up of the Club, any property of the Club remains after satisfaction of the debts and liabilities of the Association and the costs, charges and expenses of that winding up, that property shall be distributed:

(a) to another incorporated association having objects similar to those of the Club; or

(b) for charitable purposes, which incorporated Club or purposes, as the case requires, shall be determined by resolution of the members.