The First Rhodesian Ridgeback Club to Gain Championship Status in the UK
CONSTITUTION AND RULES - 31st MARCH 2007
Name and Objectives. The Club shall be called "The Midlands and Northern
Rhodesian Ridgeback Club" ( and hereto referred to as the "Society") and its
objectives shall be to help novice exhibitors in the area & to establish
further interest in the breed. To appoint a panel of Judges & guarantee
classes at shows, as considered desirable by the Committee. Further to these
objectives the Society is for the benefit of its members & will not be
classed as a trading business, so that all investment income & profits from
any source, from functions, & from activities of the Society shall be
maintained for the benefit of, & further education of it's members in the
management, training, showing & breeding & in every aspect pertaining to
Canines. The society will abide by the kennel club rules and specifically
rule RSO8 and regulation C.
The Committee may consist of any of the following elected representatives:
Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant
Treasurer, Membership Officer, Show manager, Show Secretary, Newsletter
Editor, Kennel Club Liaison Officer, Events manager, Merchandiser / Trophy
co-ordinator, Rescue co-ordinator, and two members without portfolio. The
committee shall determine extra posts as required. (See role profiles of
committee posts) The committee should not normally consist of more than 15
members in total.
All of these Committee posts will be elected on a three yearly basis and the
current holder of the post will be eligible to stand for election this will
be done at the Annual General Meeting of the Society (AGM), by balloting the
members present by a secret ballot.
Hon Life Presidents will be entitled to attend and vote at committee
meetings.
Nominations for election to the Committee must reach the Secretary at least
21 clear days before the AGM & they should be signed by the proposed person
to signify willingness to serve if elected, together with the signatures of
the proposer & seconder who should be members of at least three years
standing. Only in the event of there being insufficient nominees to fill the
vacancies may propositions be taken from the floor of the meeting. Postal
votes or proxy votes will not be accepted.
Management. The Management of the Society shall be in the hands of a
Committee. The elected Committee members must be fully paid up members of
the Society by the date of the AGM, for at least three consecutive years
before becoming eligible for election. All Committee vacancies will be
filled at the Annual General Meeting excepting that the Committee shall have
power to fill a casual vacancy by co-opting a Member to serve for the unexpired part of the year. In the event of an elected member of the
committee being absent from three consecutive meetings without apology the
committee shall have the power to declare the seat vacant. To avoid any
conflict of interest, serving committee members of this Society's committee
may not serve on any other Rhodesian Ridgeback club committee, or may they
stand for election for another RR club committee within a period of 12 clear
months. Meetings of the Committee shall be held as often as is deemed
necessary, but at least every three months, & five Members shall form a
quorum for the transaction of business.
Presidents and Vice Presidents. The Presidency & Vice-Presidencies shall
be conferred as Honours on persons who in the opinion of the Committee have
rendered outstanding service to the Society. Vice-Presidents will not
normally attend Committee Meetings & will not have voting powers unless they
are elected Members thereof.
Membership. Candidates for Membership of the Society shall be proposed by
one Member, seconded by another and elected by the Committee at one of their
meetings. Two negatives shall exclude. Membership elections shall be by
ballot if so requested by any Committee Member. Each member shall be
entitled to one vote after one full years membership from 1 Jan to 31
December. Joint membership one vote each member of partnership. Upon
acceptance to the Society the new member shall be notified accordingly by
the Secretary in writing and will be supplied with a copy of the
Constitution & Rules. New members names to be published in following
Newsletter. The minimum age for full membership shall be 18 years. Junior
membership carries no voting rights. "An up to date list of members and
their addresses, and those of branch members where appropriate, must be
maintained and, if so requested, made available for inspection by the Kennel
Club and members of the society. A declaration of the numbers of members of
the society must be made with Annual returns." (KC rule 5- RS08).
The records of member's details will be kept in one safe location. These
records will only be available to those who have a justified Society reason
for their use. No one else will have access to the records (in accordance
with the Data protection act).
Society Property. The Property of the Society shall be vested in the
Committee. In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, a Special General
Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Society's assets and
the outcome of the meeting be notified to the Kennel Club. Trophies
presented become the property of the Society for maintenance & safekeeping.
Only fully paid up members of a minimum of six months will be presented a
trophy to keep for the year. Any person who receives a Society Trophy shall
be responsible for its safety and will return it when requested, clean and
in the same condition as when presented. Some of the trophies have
significant value, if a trophy is lost or damaged the Society has the right
to claim a replacement charge from the member who had the loss or damage.
Any member of this club who is proved to be in breach of the clubs code of
Ethics shall not be eligible to receive club trophies, including
" The Cicely Hick Memorial Trophy" aka, "The Owlsmoor Trophy" Jointly
presented by the "Midlands and Northern Rhodesian Ridgeback Club " and "The
Rhodesian Ridgeback club of Great Britain"
Club Accounts. A Banking Account shall be held in the name of the
"Midlands and Northern Rhodesian Ridgeback Club" at such bank as the
Committee may by resolution from time to time direct and into which all
revenue of the Society shall be paid. Withdrawal shall only be made on the
signature of the Treasurer and countersigned by the Chair or Secretary. The
accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer, certified annually and presented to
members at the AGM. Certification of accounts will be carried out by one
qualified accountant or two unqualified individuals with accountancy
experience.
Subscriptions. The Annual Subscription for Membership shall be determined
by the membership at the AGM and payable to the Treasurer on 1 January each
Year. No member will be entitled to vote at the AGM if their subscription is
not paid by 1 February (Postmark). No Member whose subscription is unpaid
shall be entitled to any of the privileges of Membership and if any Member
fails to pay the Annual Subscription by 1 February the Committee shall have
the power to erase his\her name from the list of Members. 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.
Expulsion of Members. Any Member who shall be suspended under The Kennel
Club Rule A42j (5) and/or any member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under
Kennel Club Rule A42j (9) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the
Society. 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 or
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 General Meeting 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 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\her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of
members, and he\she shall thereupon cease for all purposes to be a Member of
the Society except that he\she may within two calendar months from the date
of such meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such
conditions as the Kennel Club may impose. If the Society Expel any member
for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, Shows, trials or
competitions, the society must report the matter in writing to the Kennel
club within seven days and supply any particulars required. (KC RULE
10-RS08)
Financial Year. The Financial Year of the Club shall be from 1 January to
31 December.
The Annual General Meeting. Shall be held on the last Sunday in February
to conduct the following business.
to receive the report of the Committee and Balance Sheet, to elect
Committee members and to discuss any resolution duly placed on the Agenda of
which prior notice has been given to the Secretary. No business shall be
transacted at an AGM unless notice thereof appears on the Agenda, with
exception of routine matters or those, which in the opinion of the Chair of
the Meeting are urgent.
Members will receive notice of such meetings in writing.
Members shall receive 42 days notice in writing of the AGM. No member
save with the consent of the Chairman of the meeting may bring any matter
before the meeting unless he has given notice of motion in writing to the
Secretary in respect of such matter not less than 35 days prior to the
meeting. The agenda of business shall be dispatched to members 14 days prior
to the meeting, although points for discussion may be received up to 48
hours prior to the meeting.
Quorum at General Meetings, the meeting may proceed to business if 25
members are present within half an hour after the time fixed for the
meeting. If there be no quorum present within one hour of the appointed time
the meeting shall be cancelled and reconvened at a time and place to be
notified within the next 28 days. Voting at General Meetings. Each member
present shall be entitled to one vote on each motion, except the Chair of
the meeting who shall have a casting vote only. Only fully paid up members
of the Society can attend the AGM or Special General meeting unless by
invitation of the committee through the chair.
Special General meeting. Shall be summoned by the Secretary if ten
members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and
requesting a Special Meeting to do so. No business other than that detailed
on the Agenda can be discussed at a Special General Meeting. The Committee
is empowered to call a Special General Meeting at its' direction. Members
shall receive twenty-one days notice of such a meeting in writing including
the reason for the meeting.
Amendments to rules. The Rules of the Society shall not be altered except
at a General Meeting, the agenda for which contains specific proposals to
amend the Rules. Any proposed alteration to the Rules shall not be brought
into effect until the Kennel Club has been advised and approved the
alterations. If the Kennel Club has approved the rule change and the
proposed changes are accepted at the Annual General meeting, these changes
can take immediate effect without the need to ratify them at the following
years AGM.
Annual Returns to the Kennel Club. The Officers acknowledge that during
the month of January each year maintenance of title fee will be forwarded to
the Kennel Club by the Secretary for the continuance of registration and
that by 31 July each year, other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club
regulations for the registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and
Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal
Authorities, will be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The 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. (KC
rule14-RS08)
Kennel club final court of appeal. The Kennel Club shall be the final
authority for interpreting the Rules of the Society and shall be the final
court of appeal in all disputes relative to Canine or Club matters.
The Midlands and Northern Rhodesian Ridgeback Club shall not join any
Federation of Societies or clubs.
No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of
or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered
Society.(KC rule 17-RS08)
A list of Judges shall be produced each year & submitted to the Kennel
Club as part of the Annual Returns. the purpose of which is to indicate to
interested parties those persons the club would support at differing levels
of judging. Membership of the Club is not a prerequisite for inclusion in
the lists. The Judges List is divided into parts namely, A1, A2, A3, B & C
and indicates the expiry date. The Criteria will be in accordance with
Kennel Club rules and directives. The list shall be prepared by secret
ballot of the Committee.(KC rule18-RS08)
