CAVE EXPLORATION GROUP (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) Incorporated
CONSTITUTION AND RULES
28 September 2005
CONSTITUTION
1 NAME
2 OBJECTS
3 MEMBERSHIP
4 COMMITTEE
5 OFFICE BEARERS
6 MEETINGS
7 VOTING
8 FEES
9 FINANCE
10 RULES
11 ALTERATION OF CONSTITUTION
12 DISCIPLINE
13 SPECIMENS
14 DISBANDMENT
15 THE SEAL
16 QUALIFIERS
RULES
1 FEES
2 INDEMNITY
3 PARENTAL CONSENT
4 VISITORS
5 GROUP EMBLEM
6 DEFAULTING MEMBERS
7 FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES
8 ALCOHOL
9 ACCESS TO CAVES
10 TRIPS
11 MEETINGS
12 EQUIPMENT USE AND TRIP FEES
13 MAPS
14 LIBRARY
CONSTITUTION
| 1 | NAME | |
| 1(a) | The name of the Group shall be "CAVE EXPLORATION GROUP (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) INCORPORATED", hereunder called the Group. | |
| 1(b) | The abbreviation shall be CEGSA. | |
| 2 | OBJECTS | |
| 2(a) | To foster caving, speleology and the preservation of natural caves, with particular reference to South Australia. | |
| 2(b) | To explore, survey and study caves. | |
| 2(c) | To place on record the results of such investigations. | |
| 2(d) | To cooperate with other bodies in the furtherance of these aims. | |
| 3 | MEMBERSHIP | |
| There shall be the following classes of members: | ||
| (a) Full Members | ||
| (b) Associate members | ||
| (c) Honorary Life Members | ||
| (d) Honorary Associate members | ||
| (e) Affiliate Members | ||
| 3(a) | Full members shall be those persons who subscribe to this Constitution and conform to the Rules of the Group and | |
| (i) | who are over 18 years of age and have completed 50 hours as a member of an active caving party and satisfy such other requirements as shall be determined by the Committee, or | |
| (ii) | whose qualifications are approved by a General Meeting. All applicants must be proposed and seconded by financial Full members and be elected at a meeting of the Committee. |
|
| 3(b) | Associate members (henceforth known as Associates) shall be those persons who subscribe to this Constitution and conform to the Rules of the Group and who do not qualify for Full Member. Associates shall not hold Office nor vote. |
|
| 3(c) | Honorary Life Members. In recognition of special services to the Group the Committee may nominate Full members as Honorary Life Members. Full members nominated shall be elected at either a General Meeting, an Annual General Meeting or an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting. Notice of the nomination shall be given and voting for the election shall take place as specified under Section 11. Honorary Life Members shall enjoy Full membership privileges. |
|
| 3(d) | Honorary Associate members. | |
| (i) | Upon recommendation of the Committee in recognition of special service to the Group, persons, other than Full members, who subscribe to this Constitution and conform to the Rules of the Group may be elected Honorary Associate members and shall enjoy all privileges of Associate membership. | |
| (ii) | Honorary Associate members shall only be elected at an Annual General Meeting and shall remain elected until the next Annual General Meeting. | |
| 3(e) | Affiliate members (henceforth known as Affiliates) shall be those associations who are Incorporated under the South Australian Associations Incorporation Act that agree to abide by this Constitution and Rules while acting as an Affiliate and | |
| (i) | have Objects similar to and compatible with those of this Constitution, | |
| (ii) | agree to a joint Records system, | |
| (iii) | elect a representative to the Group to act on their behalf, | |
| (iv) | supply a current list of their membership, | |
| (v) | are accepted by a General Meeting after recommendation by the Committee. | |
| 4 | COMMITTEE | |
| 4(a) | Shall consist of President, Secretary, and five Committee members and one ex-officio member to be the Museum Representative. | |
| 4(b) | The Museum Representative shall be appointed by the Director of the South Australian Museum. | |
| 4(c) | The Committee shall appoint the Office Bearers of the Group, not elected by an Annual General Meeting, from its members or shall coopt them from the Full members of the Group. | |
| 4(d) | The Committee shall have the power to form sub-committees and to coopt, but coopted persons shall not have the power to vote nor to form part of a quorum at a Committee Meeting. | |
| 4(e) | The Committee shall conduct and manage the affairs of the Group subject to this Constitution and Rules. | |
| 4(f) | No action taken by Committee can be deemed unconstitutional due simply to vacancy of office. | |
| 4(g) | The President, Secretary, and five Committee members shall be elected at the AGM and shall hold office from the close of that AGM until the close of the following AGM or until their successors are appointed. | |
| 4(h) | The nominees for election and their respective proposers and seconders shall be financial Full members. The nominees' consent shall be obtained and nominations should close before the commencement of the Annual General Meeting. | |
| 4(i) | If a Committee position becomes vacant, the position can be filled by a Committee nominee. The next GM must ratify the appointment of the nominee. The nominee must satisfy the conditions applying at an AGM. | |
| 4(j) | If a Committee member fails to attend any Committee meeting for at least three consecutive months then Committee can declare the position vacant. | |
| 5 | OFFICE BEARERS | |
| 5(a) | The Honorary Office Bearers shall include: | |
| (i) | President | |
| (ii) | Secretary | |
| (iii) | Treasurer | |
| (iv) | Quartermaster | |
| (v) | Records Officer | |
| (vi) | Membership Officer | |
| (vii) | Publications Officer | |
| (viii) | Librarian | |
| (ix) | Safety Officer | |
| (x) | Public Officer | |
| (xi) | South Australian Speleological Council (SASC) Delegate | |
| (xii) | Trip Leader | |
| 5(b) | (i) | Co-opted Office Bearers shall hold office until their successors are appointed or until the close of the following Annual General Meeting whichever occurs first. |
| (ii) | The Public Officer shall be elected at a General Meeting and shall hold office until a successor is appointed. | |
| 5(c) | Duties of Office Bearers: | |
| (i) | The President shall act as Chairperson at Committee Meetings AGMs GMs and EGMs and shall have the power to convene Committee Meetings. | |
| (ii) | The Secretary shall keep minutes of all the meetings and shall handle the correspondence of the Group; draw up agendas; compile and present a report to the Annual General Meeting and shall coordinate the internal affairs of the Group. | |
| (iii) | The Treasurer shall be responsible for the monies of the Group and shall submit to each Annual General Meeting an Audited Annual Statement and Balance Sheet or when called for any other period. | |
| (iv) | The Quartermaster shall have custody of and shall maintain the caving and other equipment of the Group and shall keep an inventory for submission to the Annual General Meeting and when called for. | |
| 5(c) | (v) | The Records Officer shall keep files of South Australian cave occurrences; maintain the map and speleological records; and shall coordinate the speleological affairs of the Group. |
| (vi) | The Membership Officer shall maintain records of all membership of the Group and shall maintain a current list of all organisations and persons associated with South Australian speleology and shall distribute publications of the Group. They shall also maintain a list of all financial members to be available at all official meetings. | |
| (vii) | The Publications Officer shall prepare in collaboration with appropriate officers, an information bulletin containing a program of meetings, trips and social events to be submitted to Committee for approval before issue at no greater interval than four months. He or she shall also be responsible for the preparation and or publication of all other material as directed by and at the approval of the Committee. | |
| (viii) | The Librarian shall maintain the library and library acquisitions of the Group. | |
| (ix) | The Safety Officer shall be responsible for the organisation of a search and rescue squad and the liaison with persons or organisations outside the Group on search and rescue affairs. He or she shall set and maintain the safety standards of the Group, including training of personnel, by any method they see fit subject to the approval of the Committee. | |
| (x) | The Public Officer shall perform the duties as laid down by the South Australian Associations Incorporation Act for a Public Officer. He or she shall also be responsible for monitoring the legality of the Group's activities. | |
| (xi) | Any South Australian Speleological Council Delegate shall attend SASC meetings and functions to present the views of and act in the interests of this Group. They are empowered to commit this Group by their actions subject to ratification by the Committee. | |
| (xii) | Trip Leaders can lead trips of the types for which they have been approved by Committee. They will operate in accordance with the duties as laid down by the Committee. | |
| 6 | MEETINGS | |
| 6(a) | Standard procedures shall be adopted at all meetings. | |
| 6(b) | A General Meeting (GM) shall be held each month except December for the transaction of general business. Fourteen days notice in writing of the holding of any GM shall be given to each member, specifying the date place and time of commencement of the GM. | |
| 6(c) | An Extra-Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be called at the discretion of the Committee or by the written and signed request of any five (5) financial members. Notice shall be given as for a GM and shall include the nature of business to be transacted. | |
| 6(d) | The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held during February of each year for presentation of the Annual Report and for election of Committee. Notice shall be as for an EGM. | |
| 6(e) | A Committee Meeting (CM) shall be held at such times and places as the Committee or President may determine. Fourteen days notice shall be given to all members of the Committee. If all members of Committee by any means of communication signify their consent a CM may be held at shorter notice. | |
| 6(f) | Quorum: | |
| (i) | A quorum for GMs EGMs and AGMs shall consist of the lesser of 12 or 30% of financial Full members permanently residing within 80 kilometres of Adelaide City South Australia. | |
| (ii) | A quorum for Committee Meetings shall be four. | |
| (iii) | No un-financial member shall form part of a quorum. | |
| 7 | VOTING | |
| 7(a) | Full members must be financial prior to voting. | |
| 7(b) | Full members may use postal votes. The vote, voter's name, and motion to be voted for, shall be signed by the member, placed in a sealed envelope and in the hands of the chairperson of the meeting at which voting on the issue is to take place before voting closes. | |
| 7(c) | Full members may vote by proxy which must be notified to the chairperson in writing prior to the commencement of the meeting. Such proxies to be announced at the start of the meeting. | |
| 8 | FEES | |
| 8(a) | Annual Subscriptions equipment fees and other charges shall be at rates recommended by the Committee and approved by a General Meeting. | |
| 8(b) | No person shall be admitted to membership until the prescribed fees are paid. | |
| 8(c) | Annual Subscriptions shall become due on the first day of January. | |
| 8(d) | If Annual Subscriptions remain unpaid after the expiration of three months from the due date then membership shall cease except at the discretion of Committee. | |
| 8(e) | A member shall be deemed financial upon payment of all monies due at the first day of January each year. | |
| 9 | FINANCE | |
| 9(a) | The financial year shall begin on the first day of January each year. | |
| 9(b) | All money received by the Group shall be classed into one of the following: | |
| (i) | General Revenue. This includes all monies not allocable to a "special purpose" as defined in 9(b)(ii) and shall be paid into accounts at Government guaranteed financial institutions agreed to by Committee except for a maximum set amount which may be held by the Treasurer for the payment of small amounts. | |
| (ii) | Special Purpose Revenue. Whenever a General Meeting directs the Committee to set up a separate Bank account for monies pertaining to a special purpose the Committee shall do so. The monies from these accounts may be invested in a manner consistent with the intent of the special purpose provided that any motion to do so shall be treated as for a change in the Rules of the Group. | |
| 9(c) | Payment of all monies from: | |
| (i) | General Revenue over a set amount shall be by cheque signed by any two of the following: President Secretary Treasurer. | |
| (ii) | Special Purpose Revenue over a set amount shall be by cheque signed by any two of the following: President Secretary Treasurer and on approval of the Committee any other specified Committee member and or any one coopted Full member. Names of signatories to be appointed separately for each special account. | |
| 9(d) | With the exception of the condition given by 9(f) the Committee shall not have the power to expend more than a set amount of the Group's monies per month nor more than a set amount on any one item without prior approval of a General Meeting. | |
| 9(e) | An Auditor shall be appointed each year by the Committee to audit the financial record statement and balance sheets of the Group. | |
| 9(f) | Annual or regular periodic expenditure including payment of memberships and subscriptions shall be deemed to be approved on a continuing basis provided that the approval of a General Meeting has been given in the first instance. Approval shall not extend to contractual agreements. General Meeting approval is required for any change in that expenditure exceeding an increase of 10% per annum. A General Meeting may terminate approval for any item of periodic expenditure. A list of items and amounts of periodic expenditure shall be maintained by the Treasurer for inspection on request. | |
| 9(g) | The Group shall have the power only to buy and sell goods relating to caving and speleology. Every transaction must be considered by the Committee to be in the interests of speleology. Any benefit accruing from such transactions will be used for the furtherance of the OBJECTS of the Group. | |
| 10 | RULES | |
| 10(a) | Rules for the orderly working of the Group may only be proposed at a General Meeting. | |
| 10(b) | Detailed notice of motion specifying the place date and time of the meeting at which voting is to take place shall be sent to all Full members not less than three (3) weeks prior to such meeting. | |
| 10(c) | The motion shall require a 60% majority both of the vote and of those Full members present to be carried. | |
| 11 | ALTERATION OF CONSTITUTION | |
| 11(a) | The Constitution may only be changed at General Meetings. | |
| 11(b) | Detailed notice of motion specifying the place date and time of the meeting at which voting is to take place shall be sent to all Full members not less than three (3) weeks prior to such meeting. | |
| 11(c) | The motion shall require a 75% majority both of the vote and of those Full members present to be carried. | |
| 12 | DISCIPLINE | |
| 12(a) | Should any member violate this Constitution or Rules of the Group or for any cause be deemed an undesirable member then they my be expelled suspended requested to resign or cautioned by a 75% majority decision of members present at a meeting of the Committee called for that purpose. | |
| 12(b) | Any member so disciplined shall have a right of appeal to the next General Meeting of the Group. | |
| 13 | SPECIMENS | |
| 13(a) | All speleological specimens collected by members and visitors on trips shall become the property of the South Australian Museum. Such specimens may be retained temporarily within the Group for research purposes. | |
| 14 | DISBANDMENT | |
| 14(a) | The existence of the Group shall end if: | |
| (i) | A motion is carried to that effect, or | |
| (ii) | Membership falls below three (3) Full members, or | |
| (iii) | Twelve months elapses without a meeting. | |
| 14(b) | A motion for disbandment shall be submitted and dealt with in the same manner as a motion for amendment of the Constitution except that the motion must be carried by 90% of those members present. | |
| 14(c) | If upon winding up or dissolution of the Group there remains after satisfaction of all debts and liabilities any property whatsoever the same shall not be paid to nor distributed among the members of the Group but shall be given or transferred to the South Australian Museum. | |
| 15 | THE SEAL | |
| 15(a) | The President and the Public Officer shall be the custodians of the Group SEAL. | |
| 15(b) | The SEAL shall be affixed to documents only by direction of Committee and in the presence of one of the custodians. The affixing of the SEAL shall be attested by the signatures of the custodian in whose presence it was fixed and of the Officer who affixed it. | |
| 16 | QUALIFIERS | |
| 16(a) | Wherever in this Constitution and Rules the male gender is used or implied then the female gender is also to be read and visa versa. | |
| 16(b) | Wherever in this Constitution and Rules the singular is used or implied then if possible in the context the plural is to be read and visa versa. | |
| 16(c) | Wherever in this Constitution and Rules the phrase "set amount" is used then establishment of or alteration to the set amount must be notified to Full members at least fourteen days prior to the General Meeting at which the amount is submitted for approval. | |
| 16(d) | Wherever in this Constitution and Rules the phrase “Full member” is used or implied then if possible in the context “Affiliate” and “Honorary Life Member” are also to be read. |
RULES
| 1 | FEES |
|
| 1(a) | Annual Subscriptions shall be a set amount for Associate membership a set amount for Affiliate Membership and a set amount for Full Membership and shall be paid in full except under the conditions laid down in paragraphs 1(b) to 1(g). | |
| 1(b) | Honorary members pay no annual Subscription. But any levy made on members must be paid to receive any attendant benefit accruing from the levy. | |
| 1(c) | Members permanently residing more than 80 kilometres from Adelaide City shall have their Annual Subscription reduced by a set amount. The reduced Annual Subscription shall not fall below $0. | |
| 1(d) | Any person joining after the start of the Annual Subscription year shall pay a fee equal to one quarter the annual fee for each complete or partial quarter year remaining. In addition a joining fee of a set amount shall also be paid unless joining for only three months. At the discretion of Committee a person can join for three months as an Associate. | |
| 1(e) | An Associate member transferring to Full membership shall pay the balance of the Full membership fee appropriate to the remaining portion of the year. | |
| 1(f) | Committee is empowered to waive the necessity for any member to pay that years Annual Subscription or to reduce the amount to be paid that year providing that Committee is satisfied that the member: | |
|
||
| 1(g) | Family membership may be taken out by any adult member. Family membership is a collective membership that has the following conditions: | |
| (i) | a Family membership covers the member, one other adult and persons under 18 years old that may be in the care of the member. All persons must be listed in an application to the Committee. The Committee has the right to reject one or more persons but would be expected to accept the member’s children and those of their partner plus possibly grandchildren, nephews, nieces and other children in their regular care. | |
| (ii) | payment in addition to their own Annual Subscription of a fee equal to that of Associate membership if the second adult is not a Full Member else a fee equal to Full Membership. | |
| (iii) | the member and second adult if present obtain no more rights than that of Full or Associate member as applicable. | |
| (iv) | the member and second adult if present retain all rights and privileges of Full or Associate member as applicable. | |
| (v) | the collective is treated as two memberships except that all are listed as Group members. | |
| (vi) | Rule 4(c) must be obeyed. | |
| 1(h) | All members pay an Australian Speleological Federation levy appropriate to their membership status. | |
| 2 | INDEMNITY | |
| All persons must sign an indemnity form before taking part in their first Group trip. | ||
| 3 | PARENTAL CONSENT | |
| Persons under 18 years old must produce written consent and an indemnity form signed by a parent or guardian before becoming an Associate member or attending their first official Group trip. | ||
| 4 | VISITORS | |
| 4(a) | Visitors may attend Group functions. | |
| 4(b) | Visitors may attend Group trips at the discretion of the trip leader. They must agree to abide by the codes of ethics of the Australian Speleological Federation and have public liability insurance acceptable to the Committee. | |
| 4(c) | Persons under 18 years old may attend Group trips provided that a Full member attending the trip takes full responsibility for them. The trip leader must be informed of this arrangement in writing prior to the trip. | |
| 4(d) | The number of visitors on trips must not exceed the number of Group members present. The limit on numbers does not apply to invited members of scientific organisations, other recognised caving societies, government instrumentalities, or trips sanctioned by Committee. | |
| 5 | GROUP EMBLEM | |
| Group badges and emblems may only be displayed or worn by financial members. Group emblems are copyright of the Group and can only be manufactured sold or hired by Committee consent. | ||
| 6 | DEFAULTING MEMBERS | |
| Any defaulting member who fails to fulfil their obligation to attend a trip will at the discretion of Committee be fined an amount up to 50% of that paid by participating members to be distributed to those members. | ||
| 7 | FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES | |
| Firearms and explosives are banned on all official trips except at the discretion of Committee. | ||
| 8 | ALCOHOL | |
| Alcoholic beverages shall not be taken nor drunk on official caving trips without prior permission from the trip leader. | ||
| 9 | ACCESS TO CAVES | |
| All trip leaders shall make themselves acquainted with formalities and restrictions for entry onto property on which it is proposed to visit or camp. They must obtain all necessary approvals from the relevant owners and managers of caves, of the land on which caves are located, and of land which is traversed to reach a cave entrance or is used for camping by the caving party. | ||
| 10 | TRIPS | |
| 10(a) | Except where otherwise authorised by the Committee all caving trips attended by CEGSA members shall be under the control of a leader appointed by the organisation conducting the trip and shall be entered into the CEGSA Log Book of Trips and Activities prior to the activity. | |
| 10(b) | When a member attends a caving trip that has been entered in the CEGSA Log Book of Trips and Activities, a trip report must be submitted to the Committee or to a CEGSA General Meeting in a timely manner. Responsibility for submission of the report shall belong to the person submitting the entry to the CEGSA Log Book. | |
| 10(c) | Trip leaders have authority to deny any person or member the privilege of attending their trip. Trip participants should comply with all reasonable requests made by the trip leader. | |
| 11 | MEETINGS | |
| A time limit will be placed upon general business at General Meetings of the Group when a visiting speaker is present. This limit shall be 40 minutes with the right to an extension of 10 minutes if it is called for by a 75% majority vote. | ||
| 12 | EQUIPMENT USE AND TRIP FEES | |
| 12(a) | The Committee may set fees for the use of equipment and for participation on trips. | |
| 12(b) | All members shall be notified in writing of any changes to such fees. | |
| 13 | MAPS | |
| All maps produced by the Group shall remain copyright of the Group and no copies shall be sold nor given without special exemption from Committee. | ||
| 14 | LOANS | |
| Books, publications, and other items held by the Group may be borrowed by financial members at the discretion of the custodian. Maximum period of loan shall be two months after which a penalty of a set amount shall be levied per month overdue. A hire fee may apply to some items within the two month period. |
As at 1 January 2006 the set amounts in the Constitution and Rules are:
Constitution
| 9(b)(i) | Petty Cash imprest | $20 |
| 9(c)(i) | maximum to be paid from General Revenue petty cash on one item | $20 |
| 9(c)(ii) | maximum to be paid from Special Purpose Revenue petty cash on one item | $20 |
| 9(d) | maximum expenditures available to the Committee without prior General Meeting approval are: |
|
| per month | $200 | |
| per item | $75 |
Rules
| 1(a) | Subscriptions for | |
| Full | $48.50 + ASF levy (includes insurance) | |
| Affiliate | $48.50 | |
| Associate | $40.00 + ASF levy | |
| Associate ( >2 yrs ) | $48.50 + ASF levy | |
| Family membership discount | $16.00 (only one newsletter) | |
| NEWS by email discount | $15.00 (newsletter and annual report by email only) | |
| 3-month introductory | $25.00 which includes the ASF 3-month introductory fee | |
| 1(c) | Country discount | $6.00 |
| 1(d) | Joining fee | $12.00 |
| 1(h) | single ASF membership levy | $68.00 includes insurance |
| family ASF membership levy | $121.50 includes insurance | |
| 3-month ASF introductory | $20.00 includes insurance | |
| student | $61.00 includes insurance | |
| 14 | Loan late fee | ? |
Prepared by Graham Pilkington, Public Officer