Gloucestershire Repeater Group

NAME AND OBJECT

1. The group shall be known as the 'GLOUCESTERSHIRE REPEATER GROUP'.
2. The aims and objects of the group shall be:
   1. To provide and maintain Amateur Radio Repeaters in and around Gloucestershire. (See Notes for guidance)
   2. To maintain and foster interest in repeaters.

ORGANISATION

1. The affairs of the Group shall be administered by a Committee, elected at the Annual General Meeting, in whom all the property and finances of the Group shall be vested. The Committee shall comprise:-
2. A Chairman who shall preside at all meetings at which he or she is present;
3. A Secretary whose duties shall include: taking the minutes of all meetings of the Group, maintaining a record of all classes of membership, maintaining a register of Group property, dealing with correspondence, ensuring, with the Treasurer, that the Group insurance's are adequate, arranging meetings, giving correct notice to members of meetings, as applicable, reporting to the committee all actions taken as Secretary since the last committee meeting, and advising the Chairman of any matters requiring special action;
4. A Treasurer whose duties shall include: properly recording all receipts and payments of the Group, recording all persons paid up as members and those in arrears with subscriptions. advising the Committee of the current financial position of the Group, Presenting an audited balance sheet to the Annual General Meeting;
5. A Technical Manager whose duties shall include: Maintenance of the Group's equipment, Requisition of replacements as necessary.
6. And Five Ordinary Members.
7. A nomination for election to the Committee shall be valid only if:
   1. The member nominated shall have been a member for not less than the previous twelve months and
   2. The nomination is confirmed by the nominee in person at the meeting or previously in writing to the Secretary.
8. The Committee shall have power to fill casual vacancies among their number and to co-opt not more than three ordinary members at any one time for any specific purpose. Co-opted members shall have the right to vote at any Committee meeting they attend but only in respect of the specific purpose for which they were co-opted.
9. The Committee shall have power to appoint managers to perform specific tasks. The appointments and their terms of reference shall be reported to and confirmed by the members at the next following General Meeting and at each Annual General Meeting.
10. The Committee shall have the power to enrol the group as a member of, or to seek affiliation to any other group or organisation, subject to approval by a majority of the membership (See rule 28).
11. The groups Financial year shall run from 1st April to 31st March.

MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership shall be open, at the discretion of the Committee, to all persons interested in the Aims and Objects of the Group.
2. The membership shall consist of Full Members, all of whom shall have equal voting rights; and Honorary Members none of whom shall vote.
3. A Full Member shall be any member who has paid his/her subscription at the current rate or at any rate determined by the committee under rule 19.
4. The Committee may elect Honorary Members upon such conditions as it may in each case determine, however the total number of Honorary members shall not exceed five or five per cent of the total membership, whichever is the greater.
5. All candidates for membership shall send to the Secretary (or Treasurer), together with the appropriate subscription, an application for membership setting out his or her name and address and any other particulars which the Committee may direct, and must agree to be bound by the Constitution and Rules of the Group.
6. Should the conduct of a Member be considered contrary to the interests of the group or its aims, the matter shall receive the attention of the Committee. The Member shall be called upon for a satisfactory explanation or his/her resignation; failing which he/she will be liable to expulsion from the Group subject to a right of appeal to a General Meeting.
7. Any person ceasing to be a Member shall forfeit all right to and claim upon the Group, its property and funds.
8. The rate of subscription shall be determined Annually at the Annual General Meeting.
9. Subscriptions shall become payable with the initial application for membership and will fall due at yearly intervals there-after.
10. The membership of any Member who has not paid the subscription within three months of its becoming due shall be treated as lapsed.
11. The Committee shall have the power to waive the whole or part of a Member's subscription. Any such remissions shall be reviewed annually.

MEETINGS

1. Meetings shall be held at places and times determined by the Committee.
2. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in April of each year. The Agenda for the Annual General Meeting shall be:
   1. Apologies for Absence.
   2. Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting.
   3. Chairman's Report.
   4. Secretary's Report.
   5. Treasurer's Report.
   6. Technical Managers Report.
   7. Determination of Subscriptions.
   8. Election of the New Committee.
   9. Election of Auditors.
   10. Appointment of Managers.
   11. Other Business.
   A request by a Member to include an item on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting under "Other Business" should be made to the Secretary in writing not less than one month before the date of the meeting.
3. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Committee; or by the Secretary upon the written request of twelve Members eligible to vote. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within thirty days of receiving any such request. The business of the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be confined to the matters stated in the request.
4. Notice of the Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting shall be given by the Secretary not less than twenty one days before the date of the meeting. The notice shall state the business to be discussed.
5. At the discretion of the Chairman of any meeting, prospective members and visitors may attend and, at his invitation, may speak but not vote.

VOTING

1. Voting shall be by show of hands or ballot as decided by the Chairman.
2. In addition to his vote as a Member, the Chairman of a meeting shall have a casting vote.
3. Proxy votes shall not be allowed at any meeting.
4. A two thirds majority of the members present and eligible to vote shall be required to carry a motion seeking to alter the Constitution and Rules of the Group or any motion proposed at an Extraordinary General Meeting. A simple majority shall carry any other motion.
5. The quorum for the Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting shall be twenty members or twenty five percent of the total membership, whichever shall be the less.
6. The quorum for a meeting of the Committee shall be five of whom two shall be elected officers.

ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION AND RULES

1. No Change to the Constitution and Rules of the Group shall be made except at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened by the Committee for the purpose.
2. A copy of all such proposals shall be made available to each Member in writing prior to the General Meeting at which the matter is to be discussed.

WINDING UP

1. The winding up of the Group shall require a motion at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting. The Committee shall be responsible for realising the assets of the Group and paying all outstanding debts. Any balance remaining thereafter shall be either:
   1. distributed to the paid up Members in proportion to their annual subscription rates;
   2. given to an organisation with similar interests; or
   3. given to a charitable organisation as determined by the Members.

OPERATIVE DATE

This Constitution and Rules, shall come into force on 7th April 1997 and shall supersede all previous rules and amendments.

NOTES FOR GUIDANCE

The group does not undertake to maintain operational repeater or other facilities at all times, and shall not be responsible for the loss of, or the content of any message or other data that passes through any of the systems run by the group (or by any of its members).

'Repeaters' may include Voice, TV or Data repeaters and any other facility which the committee may deem as appropriate for the group.

The group will not normally undertake to run a data communications mailbox, but will leave this to individuals or other groups that feel they can provide such a service.

The group may, at the Committee's discretion, undertake to provide links to, or loan equipment for use at any site where a requirement is shown to exist.