The National Anguilla Club - Constitution and Rules - Amended at AGM 2024

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1) Name

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The name of the club shall be “The National Anguilla Club” (hereafter referred to as the club).

 

2) The Object

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The object of the club shall be to further the study of the eel and eel angling by providing an organisation to enable specialist eel anglers to associate together and to provide and pool knowledge and experience.

 

3) Membership

 

1. Membership shall be open to all anglers who have a bono fide interest in specialist eel angling.

2. There shall be four categories of membership, these being. Life member. Honorary member and senior member and junior member

3. The criteria for life membership: - Should be given as reward for their services to the club. Any member can nominate someone for life membership at an A.G.M.

4. The criteria for Honorary membership; - Should be a sign of thanks for service to the club from within or from outside. This will be decided and voted upon by members present at the A.G.M and reviewed annually.

5. Senior membership shall be 18 years of age or older. As at 1st April in the year of membership. Membership renewal will from the 1st April till the 30th April .

6. Membership shall be liable to termination for breach of the club rules at the discretion of the committee.

7. Any member dismissed shall have the right to appeal at a special meeting within 3 months of dismissal.

8. The committee or the membership secretary shall have the right to refuse membership.

 

4) Subscription

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1. The annual subscription shall be decided at the Clubs AGM.

2. Subscription shall be due on or before 1st April each year.

 

5) Officers and Committee

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1. The committee of the club to be elected at the AGM shall be President, Chairman (casting vote only), general Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Records Officer, Social Officer, Environmental Officer, Products Officer, Bulletin Officer and Internet Officer. All positions have a vote. However, if more than one position is covered by an individual then he/she only has one vote, and Bulletin Team which will be non-committee and therefore shall not carry a vote.

2. There shall be no limit to the number of nominated Vice Presidents, as this is the highest accolade to be awarded to a member for their services and loyalty to the club. These positions shall not be entitled to vote at committee meetings. This position shall be non-committee.

3. Co-opted members can be elected to support committee officers where needed and should be available to step into a role in the case where an elected officer is unable to fulfil their tasks or obligations.

 

6) Duties of the committee 

 

1. The committee shall conduct the business of the club and shall decide the club’s program of activities, having regard for the wishes of the majority of members.

2. The committee shall meet (electronically if not in person) not less than once annually, at the discretion of the General Secretary and the date of which shall be decide upon by the Chairman, the General Secretary or four committee members.

3. A quorum for committee meeting shall be four members of the committee, or half the total number, whichever is the lesser.

4. The committee shall appoint a vice chairman to act in the chairman’s absence and in the event of a vote being tied the chairman or vice chairman shall have the casting vote.

 

7) General Meeting   

 

1. The annual general meeting shall be held as near to the end of the tax year as practicable each year usually the last weekend of March, to receive reports from officers, the accounts for the previous year, to elect officers for the forthcoming year, to consider changes to the rules and constitution and transact any other business.

2. The date of the meeting shall be decided at the previous AGM and all members will be notified of this date and supplied with the minutes of the previous AGM at least 7 days prior to the date.

3. A quorum shall be 25% of the membership or four members whichever is the lesser.

4. The general secretary shall convene an extraordinary general meeting at the request of the committee or eight senior members. Or 25% of the senior membership whichever is greater.

5. Each senior member is entitled to one vote in person at any meeting.

6. Members that attend the AGM meeting will be given priority to a place on club fish’ins held that year over non-attendees.

7. The club shall hold a Spring social meeting each year which will be held on the same date as the AGM and where the club trophies for the previous year will be awarded.

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8) Finance 

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1. The club shall be non-profit making and no member shall be liable for any loss if the club is dissolved.

2. The treasurer will prepare a report and balance sheet to be presented at the AGM each year, which shall be ratified by three members of the executive committee.

 

9) Conduct

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All members shall seek to promote a spirit of harmony in the club, shall respect the rights and wishes of fellow members and shall not act in any way, which is objectionable in any respect whatsoever or liable to bring discredit on the club.

 

10) Annual Trophies 

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1. The Nigel Jeyes Memorial Trophy: - To a member judged to have given merit worthy service to the club.

2. The best Eel of the Season Trophy: - to the member who catches the heaviest eel of the season.

3. The John Sidley Memorial Trophy: - To be awarded along with the best eel of the season trophy providing the eel is in excess of six pounds in weight.

4. The Best Eel on a Club trip: - To the member who catches the heaviest eel on a national club fish-in. Should the fish be in excess of four pounds the Denys Lawrence memorial trophy shall also be awarded.

5. The Steve Mahoney Memorial Trophy: - To the member writing the best article for the club magazine.

6. Eel of Merit trophy: - Awarded to the most significant capture of the year – that doesn’t qualify for any of the “largest Eel” awards,

7. Junior Trophy: - Awarded to the captor of the largest Eel caught by a junior member.

8. Qualification for the club top 50 list or best eel of the season trophy is subject to the captor:

• Having caught the eel in the United Kingdom

• Informing the records officer by 15th October of the capture. All catch returns to be returned to the records officer by the 15th October for inclusion in any list or report for the club year.

• Providing reasonable evidence of the capture and when requested, should be able to provide photographic evidence of length and girth if the eel is over 5lbs in weight and in contention for a club trophy.

 

The committee’s decision shall be final in cases put before it and the qualifying period for the above trophies shall be 1st October until the following 30th September.

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11) Standing Orders for Meeting

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1. Minutes shall be made of all resolutions and proceedings of general and committee meeting.

2. All members for general meeting and all committee members for committee meeting shall receive 7 days’ notice of relevant meeting along with an agenda. – this maybe in electronic form on club forum

3. No business shall be transacted until a quorum is present.

4. No business shall be transacted until the minutes of the previous meeting have been agreed.

5. All matters of debate and procedure not specified in these standing orders shall be at the discretion of the chairman or vice chairman and the ruling of the chairman or vice chairman shall be final.

 

12) Miscellaneous

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The committee shall have the power to decide on any matter not covered by the constitution, rules or standing orders for meeting, and their decision shall be final.

 

13) Legalities

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1. The club disclaims all responsibility for the personal safety or property of members, and for any damage that members may cause to third parties.

2. All material submitted to the club in the form of photographs, articles or other such media grants the club joint ownership of the material allowing the club to publish such material where it deems necessary.

3. This constitution supersedes all other constitutions and amendments, which are now declared history.