IWCOS Constitution
(amended 2006)
1 Name and Object
The Club shall be called The Irish Wolfhound Club of Scotland' and its objects shall be:
- To promote good responsible ownership of the Irish Wolfhound breed in Scotland
- To promote the breed in all aspects of exhibiting, breeding and ownership
- To further the interests of the breed in every other way possible
- To facilitate the co-operation of its members in all their activities
- The club shall also support shows, and run rallies
2 Members
The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of members, whose names and addresses shall be entered in a list kept by the secretary. The Club must keep the list of members names and addresses, and those of branch members where appropriate.
Membership is open to all. Members need not necessarily reside in Scotland. Each member of a joint husband and wife, or two bona fide partners' membership shall be entitled to individual voting rights.
3 Expulsion of Members
Any member who shall be suspended under 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 club.
If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the committee of the Club be injurious, or likely to be injurious, to the character or interests of the Club the committee of the club 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 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 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 club.
4 Officers
All Officers shall be permanently domiciled in Scotland. The Officers shall consist of President, Vice President, Honorary Secretary, and Honorary Treasurer, who shall be ex officio members of the committee.
The Committee shall offer the honorary position of Patron to a person or persons who, by virtue of their long-standing experience and commitment to the breed, in their opinion is deserving of this position. The Patron need not necessarily reside in Scotland, and it is open to any member to make nomination of such person(s) but the decision will rest with the committee. The Patron is not required to retire from office but the committee reserve the right to request his/her resignation should any act or omission of the Patron be detrimental to the breed or the aims of the club.
5 Committee
The management of the Club shall be in the hands of a Committee consisting of the Officers and not more than 8 other members each of whom shall be elected to serve for three years.
Retiring Officers and Members will be eligible for re-nomination if available. Nominations for Officers and committee members duly proposed and seconded shall be in the hands of the Secretary by 1 February each year. Nominations must have the signed written assent of the nominee and election shall be by postal ballot, which shall be conducted by a person appointed to this purpose by the Club. Only fully paid up members are entitled to be nominated for office or to make such nominations or to take part in the election.
Meetings of the committee, of which not less than 14 days notice shall be given, shall be held as often as deemed necessary. Four committee members shall form a quorum for the transaction of business, which shall be recorded in a minute book kept by the secretary.
The committee shall have the power to co-opt and fill any vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting. The committee shall be empowered to recommend the appointment of Honorary President, Honorary Vice President, and Honorary members for ratification at the Annual General Meeting. Should a committee member be absent from three consecutive committee meetings without submitting satisfactory explanation they shall be deemed to have resigned from the committee.
Should it not be convenient to call a meeting, the committee can be consulted by post or telephone, e-mail or fax. The committee is authorised to co-opt additional persons to assist in the running of shows, rallies and other functions when required. Co-opted members will only hold office until the next Annual General Meeting, but may be nominated and elected as full committee members at that time. Co-opted members will have the same voting rights as a duly elected member of the committee.
The committee shall have the power to make bye-laws and regulations not inconsistent with the terms of the constitution and Rules as it may from time to time deem necessary and they alone shall have the power to decide on any matters in dispute not provided for in the rules. The President in the event of equality of votes shall have a casting vote in addition to his own vote.
6 Undischarged Bankrupts
No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the committee of, or hold any other office or appointment within The Irish Wolfhound Club of Scotland.
7 Subscriptions
The annual subscription shall be as determined by the members attending the Annual General Meeting, and shall be payable to the Treasurer on 1 January of each year.
In the case of members joining after 1 October in any year, the subscription covers the whole of the following year. No member whose subscription is unpaid shall be entitled to any of the privileges of membership. If any member fails to pay the annual subscription by 1 March, the committee shall have the power to erase that member's 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, be re- admitted to membership.
8 Club Accounts
A banking account shall be opened in the name of the club with the Bank of Scotland, into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid. Withdrawals from the banking account shall only be made on the signature of two officers, President or Secretary and Treasurer. It shall be at the sole discretion of the committee to invest any surplus income or income or funds of the Club or disburse same in whatever manner it decides. The financial year of the Club shall be from 1 January to 31 December.
The accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer, and an auditor will be appointed at each Annual General Meeting who shall audit the accounts before the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
9 Constitution and Rules
The Constitution and rules of the Club shall form the basis of membership and may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, notice of which includes details of the proposal 10 alter the rules.
10 General Meetings
The Annual General Meeting, of which not less than 28 days notice in writing shall be given, shall be held before 30 April for the following purposes:
- To receive the report of the Committee and Balance Sheet
- To elect Officers and committee members
- To discuss any resolutions or other item duly placed on the Agenda of which prior notice of 21 days has been given in writing to the Hon Secretary.
No business shall be transacted at any Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the Agenda, except routine matters or those which, in the opinion of the Chairman, are urgent. The Agenda shall be dispatched to members not less than 14 days prior to the meeting.
A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the committee, and shall be called within 28 days on the request, in writing, of not less than ten members. Notice of such meeting shall state the business and be given in writing not less than 14 days before the date of the meeting. No business other than that specifically stated in the notice thereof shall be discussed at such a meeting.
11 Club Property
The property of the Club shall be vested in the committee. Trophies donated to the Club will be deemed to be the sole property of the club, and shall not be accepted under any other conditions.
In the event of the dissolution of the Club, a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of any assets other than trophies, the donors of which shall be consulted whenever possible and such trophies disposed of in accordance with their wishes. If the Club is wound up, a final Statement of Audited Accounts together with a record of disposal of the property of the club shall be forwarded to all members having held membership in the current year, and the persons named as Officers and committee at the last general meeting will be held responsible for the proper winding up of the Club.
12 Federation
The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.
13 Final Court of Appeal
The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the Rules and Regulations of the Club in all cases relative to Canine or Club matters.