CONSTITUTION

The organisation shall be known as the Association of Aquarists, herein after called the A of A, and will consist of affiliated Societies, individual and joint members.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the A of A shall be to promote the interests of its individual Members,  Societies, and the aquatic hobby as a whole.

Membership

Membership shall be open to any Aquarist Society, couple or individual on payment of an annual fee set by the Management Committee, herein after called the M.C.

Meetings of the A of A

The A of A shall hold meetings at periodic intervals, with an AGM to be held in the first quarter of the year.

Meeting Agenda

An agenda will be available before each meeting. Matters for inclusion on the agenda should be given in writing to the Secretary at least four weeks before any meeting.

Conduct of Meetings

• The Chairperson will conduct the meeting without bias. Normal rules of procedure will apply wherever possible.
• Voting can be deferred by the Chairperson only when he/she feels that the Members should have an opportunity of further discussion, or the membership present is not representative of the Association.
• Items not included on the agenda may be raised, time permitting, in Any Other Business.
• Changes to the Constitution or Rules should be submitted for inclusion on the Agenda of the AGM and must be received by the Secretary at least four weeks prior to the meeting.
• Alterations to the Constitution or Rules will be implemented from a nominated or an appropriate date..
• Any Individual, Joint, or Society Member may speak on a motion, but only the nominated Society Members can cast their votes on behalf of the Society. Societies must record their nominated delegates before the meeting starts.

Accounts

The audited accounts up to the end of the calendar year shall be presented at the AGM. The Treasurer will also be called upon to give a statement of the financial position.

Voting

• Every member of the A of A is entitled to one vote. Every joint membership of the A of A is entitled to two votes, one for each party on the membership. Every member Society of the A of A is entitled to two votes.
• Voting on any major decision can only take place at the AGM, or an EGM called for that purpose. The Chairperson shall have the casting vote if one is required.
• Postal voting will only be allowed on pre-notified issues. This is to be received by the Secretary prior to the meeting. Societies may vote by post on headed notepaper signed by two officers of the Society, stating their posts. It is recommended that such mail be sent by recorded delivery.
• Proxy voting will only be allowed on pre-notified issues. Application is to be made in writing to the Secretary prior to the meeting. Societies shall inform the Secretary in writing before the AGM as to their nominated delegates on headed notepaper signed by two officers of the Society, stating their posts.
• The procedure for the nomination of officers is that all nominations should be received by the Secretary in writing at least four weeks before the AGM (or the EGM if called for that purpose). Nominations can be accepted at the AGM only if there have been no nominations received for that post prior to the AGM.

A of A Officers

The A of A shall be administered by a Management Committee (M C) responsible for the day to day running of the Association, consisting of Chairperson; Vice Chairperson; Secretary; Treasurer and three Committee Members, who will meet at regular intervals.

The M C shall consist of democratically elected officials and they shall hold office for two years, standing down in alternate years. The Chairperson, Secretary, PRO and one Committee Member shall stand down in even years; and the Vice Chairperson, Treasurer and one Committee Member in odd years.

If a position falls vacant, the M C shall have the power to co-opt a replacement until it can be filled by an election at the next AGM (or an EGM called for that purpose).

The M C shall have the power to appoint the Magazine Editor, which will be a non-elected committee post without any voting powers, responsible for the production of a  periodic magazine.

The Secretary, on behalf of the M C, shall be empowered to invite representatives of sub-committees or Societies, or other parties as appropriate, to attend any committee meeting.

Sub-Committees

The M C shall have the power to institute sub-committees which shall be responsible for the M C.

Each sub-committee will contain either a member of the M C or a designated person to liaise between the M C and its sub-committees. Any number of the M C members may sit on a sub-committee. However, no M C member may sit on more than two sub-committees at any one time. Sub-committees must have the approval of the M C before inviting anyone else to join them.

The M C will set up a sub-committee comprising of A of A judges to deal with all aspects appertaining to Judges and Showing, herein called the Judges and Standards Committee (J&S). Their duties will include overseeing the upgrading of all judges, updating the Size Guide, and checking all publications.

The J&S Committee shall be a permanent sub-committee consisting of three members, at least one of whom must be a Senior Judge, appointed by the M C, each serving for a year at a time. However, any or all of the members may be asked to remain beyond this time.

All other sub-committees shall be for a specific period of time, e.g. a sub-committee set up to run an event, shall terminate when the accounts for that event are finalised, i.e. within six weeks of the event date.

Speakers and Judges

Speakers are listed by the Association, and any individual who wishes to become a Speaker may apply to the Secretary for an application form.

Judges are listed by the Association, and any individual who wishes to become a Judge may apply to the Secretary of the J&S Committee for an application form. All full judges of the A of A should be Individual or Joint members of the A of A. Full and trainee judges of the A of A must be Individual, Joint or affiliated club members of the A of A.

All Societies should be encouraged to have at least one Judge and one Speaker amongst their members.