SPHYNX CAT CLUB RULES

 

 

1 TITLE

The club shall be known as “THE SPHYNX CAT CLUB” and referred to hereinafter as the CLUB.

2  AIMS & OBJECTIVES

a) To encourage and promote an interest in Sphynx cats. To promote the care, protection and welfare of the breed and encourage the pursuance of healthy breed lines of Sphynx cats.

b) To abide by all the rules and regulations set down by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (referred to hereinafter as GCCF) as maybe amended from time to time.

c) To work with other Sphynx clubs through the appropriate Joint Committee in the selection and promotion of Judges and such changes to the Breed Standard and Registration Policy as may be deemed necessary from time to time.

3  MEMBERSHIP

a) Membership of the club shall be by an application in writing accompanied by a joining fee and subscription fee. These fees shall be determined at an Annual General Meeting of members as the need arises. Subscription renewals are due on 1st January.  Membership of the “Club” implies acceptance of its rules and objects.

b) Non-payment (after a written reminder) by the date of the Annual General Meeting shall in validate the membership which shall be deemed lapsed and the person shall be required to re-apply and pay the registration fee as well as the appropriate membership fee unless the registration fee is waived by the Committee. No member shall be entitled to vote at any meeting or to enjoy any privilege of membership whilst his or her subscription remains unpaid.

c) Application of membership shall be approved or rejected at the discretion of the committee. If rejected, no reason needs be given.

d) No person shall pledge or use the name of the club or request patronage for any matter without the consent of the committee.

e) There shall be four types of memberships: Ordinary, Senior Citizen, Junior, Honorary.

i) Ordinary members shall be entitled to attend and vote at General meetings of the club and shall be eligible for election to the committee.

ii) Senior Citizen members shall be all persons who having been duly accepted by the committee shall have paid their subscriptions for the year in which they become members and annually.  A Senior Citizen member shall enjoy all the rights of ordinary membership but shall pay a reduced subscription fee.

iii) Junior membership shall be all persons who, having been duly accepted by the committee,     shall have paid their subscriptions for that year in which they become members and annually   thereafter, and be not more than 16 years old. They shall pay a reduced subscription fee. A junior member shall enjoy all the rights of membership except the right to vote. Junior membership shall cease at the end of the year in which members attains 16 years of age.

iv) Honorary membership will have this status conferred upon them by the committee and ratified at a General Meeting, as recognition of their support to the club and the Sphynx breed. Honorary members shall enjoy all the rights of ordinary membership except the right to vote. The subscription fee will be waived.

f) If, in the opinion of the committee, the conduct of any member has been prejudicial to the welfare, breeding or exhibiting of cats, or likely to prove injurious to the character, reputation of interest of the club, the committee will give notice to suspend or expel the member.  The member, who shall have the right of reply, shall be given an appropriate and timely opportunity to.  If, after careful consideration of the evidence supplied the Committee finds the case upheld, the member shall be suspended or expelled.

Any member suspended under Article 12 of the GCCF constitution shall automatically be suspended from the club. On completion of the term of suspension, the suspend member may re apply to join the cub in accordance with the item 3 of the club rules.

4  COMMITTEE

a) The affairs of the club shall be vested jointly in an elected committee consisting of a Chair person, Vice chair, Secretary and Treasurer (hereinafter collectively called “the Officers”) and six fully paid-up members. All membership details and committee information held shall be    confidential to the committee and the custody of all properties of the club shall be held by current club committee and no other.

All Officers or Members of the “Club” who have custody of any books, documents, accounts, property or monies belonging to the Society shall, on request, surrender them to the Committee

b) There shall be a minimum of two meetings within a twelve-month period. The quorum of these meetings shall be five which shall include two Officers. The Committee shall be elected by a postal/electronic ballot of members and will serve for a period of three years. After this term they are eligible for re-election.

c) The Officers shall be elected by the Committee at a meeting immediately before the Annual General meeting and will serve for a period of one year after which time they are eligible for re-election. The position of Officer is not subject to ratification of a general meeting of members.

d) Three of the committee will stand down in rotation. All nominations to serve on the committee must be in writing and received by the Honorary Secretary by the closure date as advised.  The nomination must have a signature of the nominee, who must be a fully paid-up member of the club for a minimum of three consecutive years, along with a proposer and seconder, all of whom must be fully paid-up members of the club.

e) No Officer or committee member can serve as an Officer or committee member for any other club catering for the Sphynx breed.

f) In the event of a vacancy arising for any reason before the completion of office, this may be filled by co-option by majority vote of the remaining members of the Committee. Any person so co-opted shall serve until the next Annual General Meeting after which time they are eligible to stand for election. They shall be entitled to a vote.

g) Any Committee member failing to attend three consecutive committee meetings shall be deemed to have resigned and shall not be eligible for re-election at the next Annual General meeting.

h) The Committee may appoint sub-committees to deal with specific matters. Minutes shall be kept of such meetings and a full report shall be made to the full Committee.

5  POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE AND IT’S OFFICERS

a) Chair person shall: Call meetings with the agreement of the Committee. Preside over all meetings of the Committee, Sub Committees and general meetings as required.

b) Vice Chair person shall: Deputise at any meeting in which the Chair person is unable to take the

c) Honorary Secretary shall: Conduct all correspondence on behalf of the club. Give notice of all meetings and record and keep minutes of said meetings.

d) Honorary Treasurer shall: Hold an appropriate account in the name of the Sphynx Cat Club so that the club’s financial transactions can be carried out. Defray from the club funds all expenses authorised by the committee.

All cheques should be signed by the Treasurer and one other Officer.

Render annually at the Annual General Meeting a ratified statement of income and expenditure and a balance sheet covering the Club’s financial year to December 31st, and to make a copy available to all fully paid-up members.

6 PATRONS AND PRESIDENTS

a) The Committee may annually appoint up to two Patrons. These need not be members of the They shall have no vote and the position shall be purely honorary.

b) The committee may annually nominate a President subject to approval by the membership at an Annual l General Meeting. The President must be or have been a member of the club. He/she shall have no vote and the position shall be purely Honorary.

7 HONORARY ADVISORS

a) The Committee may appoint an honorary advisor(s) for their specialist skills or knowledge. They need not be a member of the club but nay be invited to attend Committee meetings. They shall not have a vote and their presence will be purely in an advisory capacity.

8 DELEGATES AND REPRESENTATIVES

a) The Club shall annually elect a delegate or delegates in accordance with the terms of articles 5  & 6 of the GCCF Constitution. These delegates need not be members of the committee but must relay the view of the Committee at Council meetings. The club shall also annually elect representatives for the appropriate Breed Advisory Committee according to item 3 of the Philosophy and Principles of the GCCF Judge Appointment scheme.

9 MEETINGS

a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 31 December each year.

b) Any items for inclusion on the agenda must reach the Honorary Secretary at least six weeks before the date of the meeting. Notice of the meeting together with the Agenda must be sent to all paid up members at least three weeks before the date of the meeting.

c) The quorum for these meetings shall be five members of which at least two must be Officers of the club.

d) A special General Meeting may be called by the Chair person, a majority of the committee or on the written request of at least thirty fully paid-up members, specifying the business to be The meeting shall be called within three calendar months of the request being received by the Secretary. Notice of the meeting together with the Agenda must be posted to all paid up members at least three weeks before date of the meeting.

e) All voting at meetings shall be by a show of hands or at the request of the Committee or membership, a paper or electronic ballot. There shall be no voting by proxy. Resolutions, other   than matters relating to the club constitution and rules and breed standards, shall require a two thirds majority by a show of hands for approval. At the discretion of the committee or at the request of a general meeting of members any other matters may be decided upon as result of a paper ballot, or postal or electronic ballot which shall be conducted in the same manner as that for the election of Committee members.

10 DISSOLUTION OF THE CLUB

a) Twenty-one days’ notice of any proposal to wind up the club shall be given in writing to the members, and a Special General Meeting shall be called to consider the question. If the motion to dissolve the club is confirmed by a two-third majority of those present and voting, the liabilities of the club shall be discharged and any balance should be donated to a charity as agreed by the  Cups, trophies and gifts to the Club shall be restored to the donors so far as can be traced by reasonable enquiry within six months of the date of the winding up.  Any not so returned shall be donated at the discretion of the committee.