1. NAME
The name of the club shall be the Hawks Football Club, hereinafter referred to as the "Club".
2. OBJECTS
The objects of the Club shall be:
(a) to promote, advance, foster and cultivate the game of Australian Football.
(b)
to assist in the educational advancement of the community by means
of the development of a sense of fair play and a love of sport, in
particular Australian Football.
(c)
to encourage, advance and assist in the development of an improved
standard of physical fitness in all members of the community both
individually and collectively.
(d)
to educate, train, coach and encourage members of the Club in the
game of Australian Football so that all members have the opportunity
to reveal their maximum potential.
(e)
to encourage members of the Club to assist in the development of the
game of Aussie Rules throughout ________________.
3. MEMBERSHIP
(a)
Membership shall be open to any member of the community who possesses
an interest in the game of Australian Football.
(b)
There shall be two categories of membership: full (playing) membership
and associate (non-playing) membership.
(c)
At any Annual General Meeting of the Club, a Life Member or Members
may be elected on the nomination of the Committee, such election to
be on account of some special service or services rendered to the
Club. A Life Member shall be entitled to attend and vote at all general
meetings of the Club and shall have other such privileges as may be
decided upon from time to time by the Committee.
4. COMMITTEE
(a)
The business and affairs of the Club shall be under the management
of a Committee consisting of a President, Vice-President, Secretary,
Treasurer and three Members, all of whom shall be elected by the financial
Members present at each Annual General Meeting of the Club.
(b)
The Committee shall, subject to decisions made at General Meetings,
exercise all powers of the Club and do all such acts and deeds as
may be necessary or expedient to carry out the objects of the Club.
(c)
Any financial Member may be nominated and such nominations shall be
made in writing and shall be proposed and seconded by two financial
members of the Club and acknowledged by the nominee. Such nomination
is to be in the hands of the Secretary no later than seven days prior
to the meeting.
(d)
Any Committee member who shall have absented himself from three consecutive
committee meetings without forwarding a satisfactory written explanation
shall be deemed to have vacated his office.
(e)
A casual vacancy which occurs may be filled by the Committee from
the Financial Members of the Club, subject to a maximum of three replacements
in any one financial year. A member so co-opted shall hold office
for the unexpired portion of his predecessors term. In the event that
further vacancies occur that prevent a quorum being attainable or
in the opinion of the Committee reduce the efficiency of the administration
such vacancies shall be filled at a Special General Meeting called
for that purpose. Members so elected shall hold office until the next
Annual General Meeting.
(f)
The Committee shall meet monthly and as required to conduct the business
of the Club. The President or Secretary or four members of the Committee
shall have the power to call a meeting of the Committee. The President
of the Club shall take the chair at all Committee meetings. If the
President is not present then a Vice President shall be elected to
the Chair and if there be no Vice-President present the members in
attendance shall elect a member to the Chair.
(g)
The Chairman at all Committee meetings shall have a casting vote in
addition to his deliberative vote.
(h)
All notices of Committee meetings shall be in writing and posted to
members of the Committee at least seven days before the date of such
meeting.
(i)
The Committee shall have authority to delegate any of its powers to
a subcommittee to deal with any particular matter or matters and upon
such terms as the Committee may think fit. The President and the Secretary
shall be ex-officio members of all subcommittees.
(j)
All acts or decisions done or made by any meeting of the Committee
or any Member thereof shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards
discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of such Member,
or all or any Members of the Committee, be as valid and effective
as if they had all been properly appointed, unless it is proved that
the appointment was made in fraud or bad faith.
(k)
The quorum for Committee meetings shall be four members present in
person.
5. ANNUAL AND SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
(a)
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in the month
of __________ in each year at such time and place as the Committee
shall determine. At least fourteen days written notice of each meeting
shall be given to each member, but accidental omission to give notice
shall not invalidate the meeting.
(b)
The notice must state the time, date and place of the meeting.
(c)
The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:
(i)
to receive the Annual Report and Statement of Accounts;
(ii)
to elect a Committee for the ensuing year;
(iii)
to consider motions of which due notice has been given or which any
member, with the permission of the meeting, may introduce.
(iv)
to dispose of any other matter which may be, consistent with the constitution,
introduced at such a meeting.
(d)
At the Annual General Meeting the President, if present, shall chair
the meeting. If the President is absent at the time the meeting is
due to start, the members shall elect a person to chair the meeting
from those members present.
(e)
A Special General Meeting may be called by the Committee at any time,
and shall be called upon receipt by the Secretary of a requisition
stating therein the object of such a meeting and signed on behalf
of not less than one sixth of the financial Club members. Such meetings
shall be called within fourteen days of receipt of such requisition
and not less than seven days notice shall be sent to all Club Members.
6. DUTIES
(a)
The Secretary shall carry out his duties under the direction of the
Committee and keep a true record of all minutes of all meetings, attend
to correspondence, issue notices for meetings, keep records and carry
out such duties as the Committee directs.
(b)
The Treasurer shall receive all monies payable to the Club and issue
receipts for same. All monies so received shall be paid into the bank
account of the club. The Treasurer shall present at each committee
meeting a balance of the finances of the Club and shall keep proper
books of account of all monies received and disbursed and generally
perform all such duties as directed by the Committee.
7. FINANCE
(a)
The financial year of the Club shall be from __________ to __________.
(b)
All monies of the Club shall be paid into the account of the Club
at such bank as the Committee may direct.
(c)
No monies shall be drawn from the Club’s account other than by cheque
signed by the bank signatories authorised by the Committee.
(c)
True accounts shall be kept of all monies received and expended by
the Club. At least once a year, the accounts of the Club shall be
examined and an Income and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet prepared
and the correctness of the accounts and balance sheets ascertained
by one or more auditors.
(d)
The Committee shall have power to raise or borrow for the purposes
of the Club, any sum or sums of money provided that written notice
of proposed borrowings is circulated to all members of the Committee
at least 7 days prior to its meeting at which a three fourths majority
of the members present will be required to carry such resolution.
8. CLUB COLOURS
The colours of the Club shall be brown and gold.
9. AMENDMENTS
The constitution shall not be altered, varied, added to or repealed unless by a three-fourths majority of Financial Members present at an Annual General Meeting or at a special General Meeting convened for that purpose.
10. INTERPRETATION
(a)
Any doubt arising as to the application or meaning of any clause shall
be decided by the Committee whose decision will remain until altered
by a vote of a General Meeting, whose decision shall then be final
and conclusive.
(b)
If any case occurs which, in the opinion of the Committee, is not
provided for in this constitution, it shall be determined by the Committee
in such manner as deemed expedient.
11. SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION
Any member may be expelled or suspended from membership at the discretion of the Committee, provided that such a member shall have the right of appeal to a General Meeting. Voting on this issue shall be by secret ballot both in the Committee and in the General Meeting.
12. COPIES OF CONSTITUTION
The Secretary shall supply a copy of this constitution, without charge, upon reasonable request, to any new member or existing member.
13. DISSOLUTION
(a) The Club shall be dissolved if:
(i)
a resolution to this effect is carried by a three-fourths majority
at a General Meeting, 14 days notice of the proposed resolution having
been given to all members.
(ii)
financial membership drops to ten or less members.
(b)
If upon the dissolution of the Club there remains, after satisfaction
of all debts and liabilities, any property or funds whatsoever, the
same shall not be distributed or paid amongst the members of the Club
but shall be transferred or given to some other Club or institution
having objects similar to those of the Club, to be determined by members
of the Club at or before the time of dissolution.