Our Constitution
Drummoyne Rugby operates under the below constitution. The Drummoyne Rugby Constitution aims to provide the parameters for the structure, direction and obligation of its elected and non elected members.
1. NAME
The name of the Club shall be the Drummoyne District Rugby Football Club.
2. OBJECTS:
The objects of the Club are to cater for, promote and encourage Rugby Football with particular reference to the Drummoyne District as defined in the Competition Rules of the Australian Rugby Union or whatever of it’s associated bodies governs the competition that the club is qualified to participate in.
3. COLOURS:
The playing colours of the Club shall be a scarlet jersey, black and gold hooped socks with red ops. The official blazer of the Club shall be black with the Club crest on the breast pocket.
4. MEMBERSHIP:
Members of the club shall be:
A) Office Bearers as defined in Clause ten (10) herein.
B) Players whose membership fee is not in arrears.
C) Such other persons nominated by a member on the prescribed application form and approved for membership by a majority vote of the Management Committee.
D) Social Members who complete a prescribed application form. Such members do not need to be proposed and seconded by a member.
E) Life Members who shall be elected upon a vote equal to a three-quarters majority of those members present and voting at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for that purpose provided that:
– they have been duly nominated and seconded by bona fide members of the club as defined here. Such nominations must be received by the Honorary Club Secretary at least 28 days in advance of the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting should one be scheduled.
– the existing Life Members have been polled and support the nomination(s) by a three quarters majority. (The polling process should be undertaken either by the Club Patron or Club President who shall only be required to report on the result of that poll).
-fourteen (14) days’ written notice of the nomination(s) shall have been given to each member of the Club indicating that the Management of the club and the existing Life Members endorse the nomination(s).
At no time should the number of Life Members exceed 30.
Honorary Life Members once elected shall be advised in writing and invited to accept the role and the associated responsibility defined in paragraph G) below.
Life Membership is intended to recognize extraordinary contributions to the preservation, maintenance and ongoing success of the club. It has over the life of the club been reserved as an honour bestowed on individuals whose contribution and commitment have the recognition and unanimous endorsement of the existing Life Members.
E) Vice Presidents who shall be elected upon a vote equal to a three-quarters majority of those members present and voting at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for that purpose provided that:
– they have been nominated and seconded by bona fide members of the club as defined here. Such nominations must be received by the Honorary Club Secretary at least 28 days in
advance of the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting should one be scheduled.
– fourteen (14) days’ written notice of the nomination(s) shall have been given to each member of the Club indicating that the Management of the club endorse the nomination(s).
At no time should the number of Honorary Vice Presidents exceed 30.
Honorary Vice Presidents once elected shall be advised in writing and invited to accept the role and the responsibility defined in paragraph G) below.
At intervals of not more than five years the existing Vice Presidents should be re-presented to the Annual General Meeting and continuance in the role should be subject to a three quarter majority supporting vote as for their initial nomination.
F) Honorary Members shall be those persons elected as Patron, Joint Patrons, President, Life Members and Vice Presidents together with any person nominated by a member of the Club and elected by a three-quarters majority of the Members present and voting at a Management Committee Meeting, Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting.
G) The body of Life Members and Honorary Vice Presidents shall in the event of any demise in the viability of the Management Committee of the club assume responsibility for the
protection and security of the assets and memorabilia of the club and take such actions as are necessary to restore a viable management infrastructure. In essence they are the guardians of the culture, legacy and constitution of the club.
This responsibility shall be included in the text of the letters notifying individuals of the invitation to both Life Membership and Vice Presidency and their acceptance should confirm
their acceptance of the role and this commitment.
5. MEMBERSHIP FEE:
A) The annual Membership fee shall be decided at the Management Committee before the start of each season.
B) Membership fees are due on registration and payable prior to the date of the first competition match.
C) Membership fees of new members shall be paid within one month after election to membership.
D) A member whose fees are not paid within thirty (30) days of the due date may be referred to the Management Committee for its consideration. The Management Committee
may declare such member a defaulter and deprive such defaulting member of all privileges of membership and may report the same to the Rugby Union governing body as defined in
Clause 2 if the reason for default is deemed to justify a wider loss of privilege.
6. MEETINGS:
A) The Annual General Meeting shall be held no later than the end of November each year. The business to come before such meeting shall be:
i) To adopt the Annual Report and Financial Statement of the preceding year
ii) To elect the Office Bearers of the Club as defined in clause ten (10) herein
iii) To elect Auditors in accordance with clause Seventeen (17) herein
iv)To transact any other business that may be brought forward in accordance with this Constitution.
B) A special General Meeting shall be held at the direction of the Management Committee or upon the written request of at least twelve (12) financial members of the Club lodged with the Hon. Secretary or in accordance with the Provisions of Clause twenty (20) herein. In each case the object for calling such Special Meeting must be clearly stated and must be conveyed in writing to the Hon. Secretary.
C) Meetings of the Management Committee shall be held once a month and at such other times as the Hon. Secretary shall require.
7. NOTICES OF MEETINGS:
Notices for the Annual General Meeting and any Special General Meeting shall be given in writing to all members at least fourteen (14) clear days prior to such meeting stating the date, the time and the place of meeting, together with the business for such meeting. Notice shall be considered to have been duly given when the notice calling the Meeting has been posted to the last known address of each member. Notices for the meetings of the Management Committee shall be given either orally or in writing at least seven (7) days’ prior to the holding of the meeting.
8. QUORUM:
A) At the Annual General Meeting and Special General Meetings twelve (12) members shall constitute a Quorum.
B) At the meetings of the Management Committee six (6) members shall constitute a quorum.
9. VOTING:
A) Voting at General Meetings for election of Office Bearers shall be by secret preferential ballot. All other matters shall be decided by a show of hands. Only members shall be entitled
to vote.
B) At Management Committee meetings all matters shall be decided by a show of hands unless a secret ballot is demanded by a threequarters majority of the members present and
voting.
10. OFFICE BEARERS:
A) The Office Bearers shall consist of: Patron or Joint Patrons, President, Immediate Past President, Vice Presidents not exceeding thirty (30), Honorary Secretary, Honorary Assistant
Secretary, Honorary Registrar, Honorary Treasurer, eight (8) members of the Management Committee, Honorary Gear Steward, & Honorary Social Secretary.
B) Office bearers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Nominations for office bearers must be received in writing by the Hon. Secretary, seven (7) days before the Annual General meeting and must be accompanied by the written consent of the nominee. Any person holding office in the previous year shall be deemed to have accepted nomination unless otherwise having indicated his intention to the contrary. In the absence of any formal nominations where a vacancy exists, nominations may be accepted from the floor of the meeting.
11. DUTIES:
A) President: The President shall preside at all General Meetings and Management Meetings and shall have a casting vote as well as deliberative vote. In the absence of the President
the members present shall elect a Chairman in their stead who shall have a casting vote as well as a deliberative vote for the duration of that meeting
B) Honorary Secretary: The Honorary Secretary shall record or have recorded the Minutes of all Meetings, convene all General Meetings and all Management Committee Meetings and do all such other things as are necessary for the efficient administration of the Club.
C) Honorary Treasurer: The Honorary Treasurer shall keep an account of all moneys received and expended and shall furnish a statement setting out the financial position of the Club at each meeting of the Management Committee. He shall receive all revenue of the Club and issue or have issued official receipts for the same, banking all moneys received by
him within seven (7) days of his receipt of the same. The Honorary Treasurer together with the President or the Honorary Secretary or the Chairman of the Management Committee
shall sign all cheques. All accounts must be passed for payment by the Management Committee.
D) Honorary Registrar: The Honorary Registrar shall record or have recorded the names and addresses of all members showing the date of their election and he shall keep or have kept all statistical, playing and membership records of the Club.
12. MANAGEMENT:
A) The Management of the Club shall be vested in the Management Committee which shall consist of the following persons:
i) The Patron or Joint Patrons,
– the President, the immediate Past President,
– the Honorary Secretary,
– the Honorary Assistant Secretary,
– the Honorary Treasurer,
– the Honorary Social Secretary.
ii) Life Members
iii) Eight (8) members elected at the Annual General Meeting.
iv) Up to four (4) players elected by the players during the week prior to the fourth competition match, such election to be arranged by the Honorary Secretary. Players’ Representatives shall hold office until election of new players’ representatives.
v) One (1) representative appointed by the Drummoyne District Juniors.
C) Should any member of the Management Committee absent himself without leave for three (3) consecutive monthly meetings of the Committee, his office may be declared vacant
and be filled by the Management Committee.
D) The Management Committee may fill any casual vacancies occurring in Office Bearers or Elected Members of the Committee. Casual vacancies occurring in positions of players’
representatives may be filled by the remaining players’ representatives.
E) Life Members and Vice Presidents may attend any meeting of the Management Committee and participate in discussions without voting privileges. In the event that they have concerns regarding the management of the club they should revert to the process for calling a Special General Meeting as defined in 6 B above.
13. COACHES AND SELECTORS:
A) The Management Committee shall no later than the August Meeting in each calendar year appoint a Club Coach.
B) The Club Coach shall prior to the November Meeting of the Management Committee appoint coaches for all grade teams.
C) Teams for each Grade shall be selected by the Coach(es) of that Grade with guidance and oversight from the Club Coach.
D) A coach who absents himself from training and matches for two (2) weeks in succession without making suitable arrangements for a substitute coach may have his position declared vacant by the Management Committee Which shall appoint a replacement coach.
E) The year on year grade selection management and dispute handling process will be addressed in detail in the annual Players Handbook. This should be reviewed in January of each year by the Management Committee and the appointed coaches to ensure that it remains current and applicable. The final version of the book should be published and available to all players and coaches before the first round selection is made. The selection guidelines as defined shall be those to be observed and enforced for the duration of the season unless modified by the Management Committee and such modification notified to all players and coached.
14. TEAM CAPTAINS:
The selection of teams shall include the appointment of a Captain and a Vice Captain.
15. TEAM MANAGERS:
The Management Committee, prior to the First Competition match of each season, shall appoint an honorary team manager for each team whose duty shall be to manage the team,
care for all team materials and generally attend to the interest of the players.
16. FINANCIAL YEAR:
The Financial year of the Club will terminate on the 30th day of September of each year, and the financial statement duly certified by the Auditors shall be in the hands of the Honorary
Secretary no later than the 7th day of November each year.
17. AUDIT:
Two (2) Auditors shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting, who shall audit the accounts and report on the same at the next Annual General Meeting. Such Auditors shall
not be members of the Management Committee.
18. TRUSTEES:
The Club shall have power to purchase, take on lease or on sub-lease, or on option of purchase or lease or sub-lease or in exchange or otherwise to acquire any real or personal
property, or any chattels real and such property shall be held by trustees who shall be appointed by the Club in General Meeting. The number of trustees shall be five and all property of the Club (other than cash, which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) and chattels shall be vested in them. They shall deal with the property of Club as directed by resolution of the Management Committee and they shall be indemnified against risk or expense out of Club property. An entry in the Minute Book of the Club shall be conclusive evidence of any such resolution of the Management Committee. The Trustees shall be empowered to sign on behalf of the Club all necessary transfers, conveyances, leases, assignments of lease, surrenders of lease or any other document whatsoever appertaining to a freehold or lease-hold transaction. The Club shall be authorised to indemnify the trustees against liability under leases and for this purpose shall have power to execute documents of indemnity such documents to be signed for and on behalf of the Club by the President, Secretary and Treasurer thereof for the time being. Any trustee may retire from his trusteeship on giving notice of his retirement in writing to the Honorary Secretary. A trustee shall be deemed to have retired if he has been requested to do so by notice in writing by a majority of his co-trustees. In each case the retirement shall operate from the date of notice.
19. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION:
No clause in this Constitution shall be repealed or altered or any new Clause adopted unless at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting and unless fourteen (14) days
notice shall be given by circular to each member of such proposed repeal or adoption. No clauses in this Constitution shall be altered without the consent of two thirds of the members present at the meeting in person and entitled to vote at any General Meeting.
20. MISCONDUCT:
If, in the opinion of the Management Committee, any member has been guilty of misconduct or conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Club, the Management Committee may by resolution caution, suspend or expel such member and may pending the conveying of a meeting to consider any such resolution, suspend such member for a period not exceeding fourteen (14) days provided:
A) That at least seven (7) days before the meeting at which such resolution was passed, the member concerned shall have been notified in writing of the conduct alleged and of the
intended resolution and requested to be present at the meeting.
B) At such meeting and before any such resolution is passed, the member shall have had the opportunity of giving orally or in writing any explanation or defence that he may think
fit.
C) That at least seven (7) days written notice of such meeting shall be given to all members of the Management Committee and that the notice conveying the meeting shall state that the case of the particular person and a resolution, under this clause are to be considered. The Secretary shall notify the Member in writing of any resolution passed under this Clause.
D) Any member the subject of a resolution under this Clause may by notice in writing to the Honorary Secretary within a period of twenty-one (21) days from the receipt by him
of notice of the resolution, request the calling of a Special General Meeting to consider such resolution. The Special General Meeting shall exercise all the powers conferred upon the
Management Committee by this Clause. At any such Special General Meeting, the member shall have the right to attend and give orally or in writing any explanation or defence he may think fit.
21. BY-LAWS:
The Management Committee shall have power to make and repeal by-laws provided such be not inconsistent with the existing provisions of this constitution and seven (7) days notice
thereof has been given by the Honorary Secretary.
22. DISSOLUTION:
The Club shall not be dissolved or its name changed:
A) except by the authority of a resolution passed by a majority no less than two-thirds of such members of the Club for the time being entitled according to the existing provisions of
this constitution of the Club to vote, as may be present at any General Meeting of which notice has been duly given, specifying the intention to propose such resolution, and
B) such resolution has been confirmed by a majority of such members for the time being entitled to vote, according to existing provisions of this constitution of the Club as may be present in person at a subsequent General Meeting of which notice has been duly given and held at an interval of no less than fourteen (14) days nor more than one (1)
month from the date of the meeting at which such resolution was first passed.