CONSTITUTION & RULES

1. The name of The Club shall be Pilgrim Christian Motorcycle Club Inc.
2. Objects:
a. The principal object is to establish, maintain and conduct a club devoted to sharing the Christian faith, life and motorcycling, plus providing contributions to charities and spiritual support for all.
b. To raise or secure money for the purposes of The Club in such manner as the members think fit.
c. The property and income of the club shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the club and no part of that property or income may be paid or otherwise distributed, directly or indirectly, to members, except in good faith in the promotion of those objects.
3. Definitions
In reading this Constitution, unless the context or such otherwise indicates or requires:
(a) “The Club” means the Pilgrim Christian Motorcycle Club Inc.
2. “The Club Premises” means all land, building and structures thereon of which The Club is the bona fide occupier.
3. “The Committee” means the Managing Committee for The Club, duly elected for the time being in accordance with these Rules.
4. “Annual Meeting” means an Annual General meeting.
5. “Special General Meeting” means a General Meeting as defined above, called in accordance with Rule 11 hereunder, at which only business that has been described in the notice may be transacted.
6. “General Meeting” means the General meeting of The Club whether Annual or Special.
7. “Month” means a calendar month.
8. “Financial year” means from the first of July each year, until the following 30th of June.
9. “The By-Laws” means the codes of rules made and adopted in accordance with Rule ---.
(Words importing the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender and words importing the singular shall include the plural)
4. Membership
The Club shall keep an up to date register of members in respect of Ordinary, Life, Junior and Honorary members. This register must be continually available for inspection at the club premises.
Membership of The Club shall consist of the following:
1. Founding Member – an Ordinary Member who was a member on the foundation date of the Club
2. Ordinary Member – Persons over 18 years of age.
3. Life Member – the Members may elect Persons who have rendered meritorious service to The Club as Life Members for such service.
4. Junior Member - Persons under the age of 18 years may make application to the club as a Junior Member, and if accepted, shall pay the prescribed subscription.
Persons granted this category of membership shall have no voice in the management of the club and shall not be entitled to hold any office or vote at any meeting of the club.
Any Junior Member on attaining the age of 18 years, wishing to remain a member of the club, shall be granted the appropriate club membership and shall pay the full subscription as set down from time to time.
5. Honorary Member – Membership that may be granted to Club Patrons, Sponsors, Selected Government Officers and any other such persons as the committee may decide from time to time.
Only Ordinary Members and Life Members shall be allowed to vote.
5. Application to Become a Member
1. Ordinary Member – Any person desiring to become such a member of The Club shall sign an application form provided and such form must bear the signatures of two Members of The Club who are entitled to vote, as a proposer and seconder. When the Secretary receives the application form, it shall then be given to all members in The Club before election, provided also that an interval of not less than two weeks shall elapse between nomination and election. The applicant will then be accepted or denied membership.
2. No person shall be entitled to exercise any of the privileges of a member until they have paid all subscriptions due by them.
3. The Committee shall have the right to refuse to admit any person to membership with reasons for doing so.
4. On the election of each candidate, the Secretary shall notify the same to them, and they shall on payment of their subscription be enrolled as a Member of The Club, and become entitled to the privileges and be bound by its rules and by all consequences resulting from breach or non-performance thereof, and shall thereby absolve every person concerned in carrying out enforcing such rules from all personal responsibility or legal liability on such account.
5. Life Member – A member may propose another member for Life Membership to the Committee in writing giving reasons that Life Membership should be granted. A General Meeting may, upon a 75% majority vote, confer Life Membership on a member who has rendered special and outstanding services to The Club. The holder of a Life Membership shall be entitled to all privileges of an Ordinary Member, be exempt from annual subscriptions but shall pay any levies and capitation fees.
6. Member’s Rights
1. The rights and privileges of every member shall be personal and shall not be in any manner transferable by their own act or through any other person on their behalf or by operation of law, and on any member ceasing by death (or otherwise) to be a member all their interest shall go to the estate.
2. Honorary Members shall not be entitled to vote or be present at any meeting of the members of The Club, nor have any right, title or interest in or to any of the property of The Club, nor propose or second any candidate for admission as a member.
7. Subscriptions
1. The entrance fee and annual subscription of The Club shall be set by majority vote of the Executive Committee prior to the commencement of the financial year. Notice of the fees and subscriptions shall be notified to the members, via the Club email.
2. All subscriptions are due from the day of first registration in each year and are payable in advance, on or before the registration date.
8. New Members
Subscriptions must be paid within two weeks of election.
9. Liability For Subscription
1. The Committee shall have the power by resolution to remove from the roll of members the name of any new member who fails to pay his/her subscription within two weeks from the date of his election.
2. Any member whose subscription is in arrears at the AGM each year shall cease to be a member, unless the Committee upon receiving an explanation in writing from that member shall otherwise decide.
10. General Meetings
The Annual General Meeting of members shall be held every calendar year within four months of the closing of the financial year. Notice of the meeting and agenda items including special notices of motion must be posted by email, 14 days before the date of the meeting. At this meeting a report shall be presented by the President on behalf of the Management Committee, and the Treasurer shall present the club’s full statement of accounts and balance sheet for the past year.
The Chairman of the meeting shall be the President or if not available a person nominated and elected by the members present.
The order of business at the Annual Meeting shall be as follows:
1. Reading notice of meeting.
2. Reading minutes of the last Annual Meeting and any other General Meeting not yet confirmed and confirming or amending same.
3. Reading President’s Report, discussion and adoption or otherwise.
4. Reading Statement of accounts and Balance Sheet to be received or otherwise.
5. Election of Executive Committee.
6. Special Business of which Notice of Motion has been given.
7. Other Business.
11. Special General Meetings
The Management Committee may, at any time call a Special General Meeting by giving adequate notice via The Club email. A Special General Meeting shall also be called by the Executive Committee via Club Email when no less than twelve members have agreed in detail the purpose of the meeting. Notice of the meeting and a copy of the Email shall be sent to all members for at least seven days before the date of the said meeting. Only business, of which notice shall have been given as above, or in accordance with these rules, shall be transacted at a Special General Meeting. Twenty shall form a quorum. In the case of insufficient members to form a quorum being present after 30 minutes following the advertised start time the meeting shall lapse.
In the case of insufficient members to form a quorum being present after 30 minutes following the advertised start time for an Annual General Meeting, said meeting will be automatically adjourned to re-convene at the same time seven days later and shall proceed with or without a quorum.
12. General Provision
1. No member shall be entitled to take any legal action against The Club (other than a claim for goods sold and delivered and services rendered) and must conform to the decisions of the Committee and in the case of an appeal, to the decision of the General meeting to which he/she may appeal.
2. These rules shall be the rules of The Club and shall be binding on members.
3. Correct accounts and books shall be kept showing the financial affairs of The Club and the particulars usually shown in books of accounts of a like nature.
13. Election of Office Bearers
1. The management of the club shall be vested in an Executive Committee consisting of 3 committee persons elected for a 2 year term with 3 committee persons being elected for a 1 year term.
2. The annual election of officers shall be by ballot at each Annual General Meeting in the presence of the returning officer and two scrutineers elected by the members present at such meeting. Members unable to attend the meeting may lodge a vote on the approved ballot paper with the secretary prior to the meeting, having also recorded and signed an apology for the meeting on an outer sealed envelope that contains the sealed ballot paper.
3. Nominations all individual positions on Executive Committee must be in writing signed by the proposer and nominee and must be in the hands of the Secretary not less than seven days before the Annual General Meeting. The nominations shall be exhibited on the Club Email at least three days prior to the said meeting.
4. When no more than the required number of officers shall be nominated, those so nominated shall be declared elected.
5. If there shall be insufficient nominations to fill the whole of the vacancies of the list of officers, those nominated shall be declared elected and shall have power to fill the vacancies and any casual vacancies that may occur.
14. Procedures at General Meeting
1. The Chairperson shall have the casting vote only and shall decide all questions of order unless otherwise provided by these rules.
2. All Notices of Motion for consideration at the Annual Meeting must be handed to the Secretary in writing no less than 14 days prior to the date set for said meeting and posted on the Club Email for 7 days before the meeting.
15. The Executive Committee & Terms
1. The Executive positions on the Executive Committee shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and any other as determined by the full committee, and shall be elected at the first meeting of the elected management committee. The quorum at all Committee meetings shall be 5 members.
2. Committee meetings shall be held bi-monthly and may be by phone-link or email. Special meetings may be called by the President, Secretary or on the request of three members of the Committee.
3. If, without satisfactory explanation, any Committee person shall absent himself from three consecutive Committee meetings, his/her office shall be terminated forthwith unless the disqualification shall be dispensed with on a resolution of the Committee.
4. No member of the Committee shall be held to have resigned his seat until his resignation, in writing, has been accepted by the Committee.
5. Any vacancy occurring in the Committee shall be filled at a meeting of the Committee when a member shall be elected to fill such a vacancy until the next election provided the member elected at such Committee meeting shall hold office in the place of, and upon the same terms and conditions as their predecessor, had the latter continued in the office.
6. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Committee of The Club and, in his absence the Vice President. Should neither be present, the meeting shall elect a Chairperson. All resolutions of the Committee shall be decided by a majority vote of all those present. In the case of equality of votes, the proposal before the Committee shall be decided in the negative. The President or, in his absence, the acting President shall be authorised to speak on behalf of The Club.
16. Powers of the Committee
The business of The Club shall be managed by the Committee, who may exercise all powers of the club except those required to be exercised by The Club at a General Meeting.
Without prejudice to the powers conferred by the last preceding rule, the Committee shall subject to the by-laws, have power to do the following things:
1. To purchase or otherwise acquire any Club paraphernalia and dispose of them as it may see fit.
2. To determine from time to time the conditions on which and time when, members may use the property of The Club or any part or parts thereof, and when and under what conditions they shall be used by members.
3. To appoint any other officials or servants of The Club and to remove them as occasions may require at their discretion and to define their respective duties.
4. Workplace Agreement.
5. To regulate and control their own meeting and the transaction of business thereat.
6. To pay any servant of The Club any gratuity for faithful and diligent service as deemed fit.
7. In accordance with the rules to suspend, or expel any member.
8. To take and defend all legal proceedings by or on behalf of the club and to appoint all necessary Attorneys for any such purpose.
9. To make, alter and repeal by-laws not inconsistent with these rules, the admission of members and the conduct of The Club and its affairs generally.
10. To do and perform any other act, matters and things in connection with or relative to the management of The Club as shall not by these rules require to be done by The Club in General Meetings.
11. Every member of the Committee shall be indemnified against any loss, expenses or liability incurred by reason of any act or deed performed by him/her in good faith on behalf of the Committee and the Committee may use the funds of The Club for any such purpose required, together with any reasonable expenses incidental to Committee activities.
12. A member of the Committee who has any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any matter under contemplation by the Committee, shall, as soon as he/she becomes aware of his/her interest, disclose the nature and extent of such interest to the Committee and shall not take part in any deliberations or decision of the Committee with respect to that matter.
17. Secretary and Treasurer
(a) He or she shall hold office in an honorary capacity.
(b) It shall be the duty of the Secretary or Treasurer to conduct the affairs of The Club under the directions of the Committee, and to keep the books provided for that purpose correct, to keep a book of accounts showing the financial affairs of The Club and the particulars usually shown in books of accounts of a like nature, also full and accurate minutes of the proceedings of all meetings of members as well as meetings of the Committee which shall be produced to the Committee at every meeting thereof.
3. The Secretary shall enter in a book provided for that purpose, the name in full and the addresses of all members of The Club for the time being and the date of the last payment by each member of his/her subscription and in another book shall be entered the names in full and the addresses of all Honorary members, the date of their election and the period of their membership.
4. Every notice directed to be exhibited by The Club shall be exhibited on the Club Email.
18. Auditors
There shall be an Auditor, not a member of the Committee, who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Such Auditor shall audit the accounts and have power at any time to call for all books, papers, accounts, etc. relating to the affairs of The Club. The Auditor shall be entitled to receive such remuneration as the Committee may from time to time determine. The Auditor need not necessarily be a member of The Club.
If any casual vacancy occurs in the office of any Auditor appointed by The Club, the Committee should fill the appointment until the next Annual General Meeting.
19. Alteration and Repeal of Rules
1. No repeals of any existing rules and no new rules or alteration, amendments or suspensions of a rule shall be valid unless a motion therefore is carried by a three quarters majority of members present and voting at a General or Special General Meeting.
2. Notices of motions to repeal, alter or suspend any rule shall be given to the Secretary at least 21 days preceding the Annual or Special General Meeting at which the motion shall be presented. The Secretary shall exhibit the proposal on The Club Email at least fourteen days prior to such meeting.
20. Suspension or Expulsion of Members
The President, Committee or approved manager in receiving a complaint of a member’s behaviour which is considered a serious breech of acceptable member behaviour or where police involvement is required, may suspend a member for a period of time until appropriate disciplinary action can be taken.
1. The Executive Committee is required to exempt any member of that Committee from hearing a charge in which he/she has an interest.
2. Who shall fail in the observance or commit any breach of any rule of The Club, or any by-law of The Club or of any order or direction of the Executive Committee or of any General Meeting.
3. Who shall in the sole judgement of the Executive Committee have been guilty of any act, conducted matter or thing calculated to bring discredit on The Club or its members, or to impair or affect the joy of membership by other members.
Any member charged with misconduct as above shall be furnished with a written copy of the charge and shall after hearing the accuser and accused and taking such evidence as they may consider proper, if they find the charge proved, inflict a penalty of suspension from all or any of the privileges of membership. If the Executive Committee considers that on a charge of gross misconduct, suspension as above is insufficient, they may call on the member to resign, and if he/she neglects to resign within 10 days they may declare him/her to be expelled, but in any case the accused shall have the right of appeal to a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, whose decision shall be final as decided by the majority of the members present.
4. Any expelled member of The Club who may be aggrieved by his/her expulsion by the Committee is required to lodge with his/her appeal the sum of $50 with the secretary to defray the cost of a special general meeting.
21. Common seal
The club shall have a common seal, which shall be kept in the custody of the Secretary and shall not be affixed to any document except by the authority of the committee and in the presence of one member of the committee. Any document to which the seal is affixed shall be countersigned by the Secretary or an officer appointed by the management committee for that purpose.
24. Dissolution of the Club
If upon winding up or dissolution of the club there remains after satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid to or distributed among the members but shall be given or transferred:
1. To another club incorporated under the Act; or
2. For charitable purposes as voted on by members at the final special general meeting.