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CORPORATIONS
LAW A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE
ARTICLES
OF ASSOCIATION OF
MONTENEGRIN
ETHNIC ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA
INTERPRETATION
1.
In
these regulations:
“the code” means
the Corporations Law;
“the
Company” means MONTENEGRIN ETHNIC ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA
“the Committee” means the Board of Directors and governing Council of
the Company;
“The Seal” means the common seal of the Company;
“Secretary” means any person appointed to perform the duties of a
secretary of the Company and includes the honorary secretary;
“State” means the State of New South Wales;
expressions referring to writing shall, unless the contrary intention
appears, be constructed as including references to printing, lithography,
photography and other modes of representing or reproducing words in a
visible form;
words or expressions contained in these articles shall be interpreted in
accordance with the provisions of the Corporations Law as in force at the
date at which these articles become binding on the Company.
2.
The Company is
established for the purposes set out in the Memorandum of Association.
MEMBERSHIP
3.
3.
3.
The
membership of the Foundation shall be Life, Founder or ordinary
membership.
4.
The subscribers to the
memorandum of association and such other person as the Committee shall
admit to membership in accordance with these articles shall be members of
the Company.
5.
Every
applicant for membership of the Company except the Founder members shall
be proposed by one and seconded by another member of the Company to both
of whom the applicant shall be personally known. The application for
membership shall be made in writing, signed by the applicant and his
proposer and seconded and shall be in such form as the Committee from time
to time prescribes.
In no case shall the Committee be required to give any reason for the
rejection of an applicant.
6.
When an application
has been accepted for membership the Secretary shall forthwith sent to the
applicant written notice of his acceptance and a request for payment of
his first annual subscription. Upon payment of his first annual
subscription the applicant shall become a member of the Company, provided
nevertheless that if such payment
be not made within two calendar months after the date of the said notice,
the Committee may in its discretion cancel its acceptance of the applicant
for membership of the Company.
7.
The annual subscription payable by members of the Company shall be such as
the Company in general meeting shall from time to time prescribe. Annual
subscriptions shall become due and payable in advance on the 1st day of
June each year.
8.
A register of members shall be kept by the Company and shall have written
therein or entered therein
the name and address of the members, the date at which the name of each
person was admitted in the register as a member and the date at which any
person who ceased to be member during the previous 7 years so ceased to be
a member.
CESSATION OF MEMBERSHIP
9.
If the subscription of a member shall remain unpaid for a period of two
calendar months after it becomes due than the member may after notice of
the default shall have been sent to him by the Secretary or Honorary
Treasurer be debarred by resolution of the Committee from all privileges
of membership PROVIDED that the Committee thinks fit to do so.
10.
A member may at any
time by giving notice in writing to the Secretary resign his membership of
the Company but shall continue liable for any annual subscription and all
arrears due and unpaid at the date of his resignation and for all other
moneys due by him to the Foundation and in addition for any sum not
exceeding one hundred dollars for which he is liable as a member of the
company under clause 5 of the memorandum of association of the Company.
11.
If any member shall wilfully refuse or neglect to comply
with provisions of the memorandum or articles of association of the
Company or shall conduct himself in a way unbecoming of a member or
prejudicial to the interest of the Company, the Committee shall have power
by resolution to censure, suspend or expel the member from the Company.
PROVIDED that at least one
week before the meeting of the Committee at which such a resolution is
passed the member shall have had notice of such meeting and of what is
alleged against him and of the intended resolution and that he shall at
such meeting and before the passing of such resolution have had an
opportunity of giving orally or in writing any explanation or defence he
may think fit and provided further that any such member may by notice in
writing lodged with the Secretary at least twenty-four hours before the
time for holding the meeting at which the resolution is to be considered
by the Committee, elect to have the question dealt with by the Company in
general meeting and in that event an extraordinary general meeting of the
Company shall be called for the purpose and if at the meeting such a
resolution be passed by a majority of two-thirds of those present and
voting (such vote to be taken by ballot) the member concerned shall be
dealt with in accordance with the memorandum and article of association
and in the case of a resolution for his expulsion the member shall be
expelled.
GENERAL
MEETINGS
12.
12.
12.
An
annual general meeting of the Company shall be held in accordance with the
provisions of the Code and the Charitable Collections Act, 1934. All
general meetings other than Annual General Meetings, shall be called
extraordinary general meetings.
13.
Any four members of
the Committee may whenever they think fit, request the convening of an
extraordinary general meeting, an extraordinary general meetings shall be
convened on such requisition or in default may be convened by such
requisitions as provided by the Code.
14.
Subject to provisions of the code relating to special resolutions and
agreements for shorter notice, fourteen day’s notice at the least
exclusive of the day on which the notice is served or deemed to be served,
sand exclusive of the day for which notice is given) specifying
the place, the day and the hour of meeting and case of special business
the general nature of that business shall be given to persons as are
entitled to receive such notices from the Company.
15.
For the purpose of article 14, all business shall be special that is
transacted in an extraordinary general meeting, and also all that is
transacted at an annual general meeting, with the exception of the
consideration of the accounts, balance sheets, and the report of the
Committee and Auditors, the election of officers and other members of the
Committee in the place of those retiring, and the appointment of the
Auditors, if necessary.
PROCEEDINGS
AT GENERAL
MEETINGS
16.
16.
No
business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of
members is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. Save
as herein otherwise provided 20% of membership present in person shall
become a quorum. For the purpose of this article “member” includes a
person attending by proxy.
17.
If within half an hour
from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the
meeting, if convened upon the requisition of members, shall be dissolved;
in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next
week at the same time and place, or to such other day and at such other
time and place as the Committee may determine, and if at the adjournment
meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time
appointed for the meeting, the members present (being not less than three)
shall be a quorum.
18.
The President shall preside as Chairman at every general meeting of the
Company, or if there is no President, or if he is not present within
fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the holding of the meeting or
is unwilling to act, the Vice President shall be the Chairman or if the
Vice-President is not present or is unwilling to act than the members
present shall elect one of their number to be Chairman of the meeting. Any
cultural meeting may be presided by any member of the Foundation at the
request of the President.
19.
The
Chairman may, with the consent of any meeting at which a quorum is present
(and shall if so directed by the meeting), adjourn the meeting from time
to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at
any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at
the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting
is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting
shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Save as aforesaid it
shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or the
business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.
20.
At
any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be
decided on a show of hands unless a poll is (before or on the declaration
of the result of the show of hands) demanded:
(a)
by the Chairman; or
(b)
by at least three members present in person or by proxy.
Unless poll is so demanded a declaration by the Chairman that a resolution
has on a show of hands been carried or carried unanimously, or by a
particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book
conclusive evidence of the fact. The demand for a pool may be withdrawn.
21.
If a poll is duly
demanded it shall be taken in such manner and either at one or after an
interval or adjournment or otherwise as the Chairman directs, and the
result of the poll shall be the resolution of the meeting at which the
poll was demanded but a poll demanded on the election of a Chairman or on
a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith.
22.
In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show or hands or on a
poll, the Chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place
or at which the poll is demanded shall be entitled to a second or casting
vote.
23.
A member may vote in person or by proxy or by attorney and on a show of
hands every person present who is a member or a representative of a member
shall have one vote and on a poll every member present in person or by
proxy or by attorney of other duly authorised representative shall have
one vote.
24.
All members are entitled to vote.
25.
The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of
the appointee or of his attorney duly authorised in writing. The
instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to
demand or joint in demanding a poll. A member shall be entitled to instruct
his proxy in favour or against any proposed resolution. Unless
otherwise instructed the proxy may vote as he thinks fit.
26.
The instrument appointing a proxy may be in the following form:
MONTENEGRIN ETHNIC
ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA
I,..........................................................of………….
being a
member of the Montenegrin Ethnic Association of Australia hereby
appoint………………………..
of…………………...
or
failing him
……………… as
my proxy to vote for me on my behalf at the (annual or extraordinary as
the case may be) general meeting of the Association, to be held on
the…………
day of………20…… and
at any adjournment thereof.
My proxy is hereby authorised to vote
*in favour of / *against the following resolutions:
Signed this…………………………
day of
………20…….
_____________________________________________
Note
1. In
the event of the member desiring to vote for or
against any resolution he shall instruct his proxy accordingly. Unless
otherwise instructed, the proxy may vote as he thinks fit.
Strike out whichever is not
desired
27.
The instrument
appointing a proxy and the power of attorney or other authority if any,
under which it is signed or a notarially certified cope of that power
or authority shall be deposited at the registered office of the Company or
at such other place within the State as is specified for that purpose in
the notice convening the meeting, not less than forty-eight hours before
the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person
named in the instrument proposes to vote, or, in the case of a poll, not
less than twenty-four hours before the time appointed for the taking of
the poll and in default of the instrument of proxy shall not be treated as
valid.
28.
A vote given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy or
attorney shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death or unsoundness
of mind of the principal or revocation of the instrument or of the
authority under which the instrument was executed, if not intimation in
writing of such death, unsoundness of mind or revocation as aforesaid has
been received by the Company at the registered office before the
commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the instrument
is used.
29.
Membership roll shall be closed two months before the Annual General
Meeting.
THE COMMITTEE (INCLUDING
OFFICE-BEARERS)
30.
30.
30.
The office-bearers of the Company shall consist of a President ( who is
the Principal Executive Officer ), a Vice-President, a Secretary, and
Honorary Treasurer, all of whom shall be members of the Company.
31.
In addition there will
be two Committee Members elected at the Annual General Meeting. They shall
all retire at the first annual general meeting, but shall be eligible for
re-election. The outgoing President and Secretary shall be ex-officio
members of the Committee for a period of one year.
32.
At the first annual general meeting of the Company and at the annual
general meeting of the Company in each year thereafter the office-bearers
and other members of the Committee shall be elected from among the members
and such office-bearers and other members of the Committee shall hold
office until the next annual general meeting when they shall retire but
they shall be eligible for re-election.
33.
The
election of office-bearers and other members of the Committee shall take
place in the following manner:
(a)
Any two members of the Company shall be at liberty to nominate any
other member to serve as an office-bearer or other member of the
Committee.
(b)
The nomination, which shall be in writing and signed by the member
and his proposer and seconder shall be lodged with the Secretary at least
fourteen days before the annual general meeting at which the election is
to take place
(c)
A list of the candidates’ names in alphabetical order, with the
proposers’ and seconders’ names, shall be posted in a conspicuous
place in the registered office of the Company for at least seven days
immediately preceding the annual general meeting.
(d)
Balloting lists shall be prepared ( if necessary) containing the
names of the candidates only in alphabetical order, and each member
present at the annual general meeting shall be entitled to vote for any
number of such candidates not exceeding the number of vacancies.
34.
The Company may from
time to time by ordinary resolution passed at a general meeting increase
or reduce the number of office-bearers or other members of the Committee.
35.
The Committee shall have power at any time, and from time to time, to
appoint any member to the Committee, either to fill a casual vacancy or as
an addition to the existing office-bearers or other members of the
Committee but so that the total number of office-bearers or other members
of the Committee shall not at any time exceed the number fixed in
accordance with these articles. Any office-bearers or other member of the
Committee so appointed shall hold office only until the next following
annual general meeting.
36.
The Company may by ordinary resolution of which special notice has been
given to remove any office-bearer or other member of the Committee before
the expiration of his period of office, and may by an ordinary resolution
appoint another person in his stead; the person so appointed shall hold
office only until the next following annual general meeting.
37.
The
office of a member of the Committee shall become vacant if the member:
(a)
becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his
creditors generally;
(b)
becomes prohibited from being a director or a company by treason of
any order made under the Code;
(c)
ceases to be a member of the Committee by operation of section 226
of the Code;
(d)
becomes of unsound mind or a person whose person or estate is
liable to be dealt with in any way under the law relating to the mental
health;
(e)
resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company;
(f)
for more than six months is absent without permission of the
Committee from meetings of the Committee held during that period;
(g)
holds any office of profit under the Company;
(h)
ceases to be a member of the Company; or
(i)
is directly or indirectly interested in any contract or proposed
contract with the Company.
PROVIDED always that nothing in this paragraph shall affect the operation
of clause 3 of the memorandum of association of the Company.
POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE
COMMITTEE
38.
The
business of the Company shall be managed by the Committee who pay all
expenses incurred in promoting and registering the Company and may
exercise all such powers of the Company in general meeting, subject,
nevertheless, to any of these articles, to the provisions of the Code, and
to such regulations, being not inconsistent with the aforesaid articles or
provisions, as may be prescribed by the Company in general meeting;
PROVIDED that any rule regulation or by-law of the Company made by the
Committee may be disallowed by the Company in general meeting and provided
further that no resolution or regulation made by the Company in general
meeting shall
invalidate any prior act of the Committee which would have been
valid if that resolution or regulation and not been passed or made.
39.
All promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable
instruments, and all receipts for money paid to the Company shall be
signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed, as the case may
be, by any two members of the Committee or in such other manner as the
Committee from time to time determine and all cheques shall be signed by
two members of the Committee or by any member of the Committee together
with such permanent salaried employee of the company as may be so
authorised from time to time by the Committee for such purpose. All moneys
received by the company shall be deposited without prior deduction of any
kind without unreasonable delay to the credit of a bank account of the
Company. Receipts for moneys received shall be issued promptly. All
payments by the Company in excess of $10 or such other amount as may from
time to time be prescribed by the regulations under the Charitable
Collections Act shall be paid by cheque.
40.
The
Committee shall cause minutes to be made:
(a)
of all appointments of officers and servants;
(b)
of names of members of the Committee present at all meeting of the
Company and of the Committee; and
(c)
of all proceedings at all meetings of the Company and of the
Committee.
Such
minutes shall be signed by the Chairman of the meeting at which the
proceedings were held or by the Chairman of the next succeeding meeting.
PROCEDINGS OF THE
COMMITTEE
41.
The
Committee may meet together for the despatch of business, adjourn and
otherwise regulate its meetings as it thinks fit. The Secretary shall on
the requisition by three members of the Committee summon a meeting of the
Committee.
42.
Subject to these
articles questions arising at any meeting of the Committee shall be
decided by a majority of votes and a determination by a majority of the
members of the Committee shall for all purposes be deemed a determination
of the Committee shall for all purposes be deemed a determination of the
Committee. In case of an equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting
shall have a second or casting vote.
43.
The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Committee
shall be a majority of the total Committee as provided in Article 30 and
31 or such greater number as may be fixed by the Committee.
44.
The continuing members of the Committee may act notwithstanding any
vacancies in the Committee, but so long as their number is reduced below
the number fixed by or pursuant to these articles as the necessary quorum
of the Committee, the continuing member or members may act for the purpose
of increasing the number of members of the Committee to that number or of
summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.
45.
The President shall preside as Chairman at every meeting of the Committee,
or if there is no President, or if at any meeting he is not present within
ten minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the
Vice-President shall be Chairman or if the Vice-President is not present
at the meeting than the members shall choose one of their member to be
Chairman of the Meeting.
46.
The Committee may delegate any of its powers and or functions (not being
duties imposed on the Committee as the directors of the Company by the
Code or the general law) to one or more sub-committees consisting of such
member or members of the Company as the Committee thinks fit. Any sub-
committee so formed shall conform to any regulation that may be imposed by
the Committee and subject thereto shall have power to co-opt any member or
member or members of the Company and all members of such sub-committees
shall have one vote.
47.
The Committee may appoint one or more advisory boards consisting of such
member of members or the Committee as the Committee thinks fit. Such
advisory boards shall act in an advisory capacity only. They shall conform
to any regulations that may be imposed by the Committee and subject
thereto shall have power to co-opt any member or members of the Company
and all members of such advisory boards shall have one vote.
48.
A sub-committee may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Questions
arising at a meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the
members present, and in case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall
have a second or casting vote.
49.
All
acts done by meeting of the Committee or of a sub-committee or by any
person acting as a member of the Committee shall, notwithstanding that it
is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of
any such member of the Committee or person acting as aforesaid, or that
the members of the Committee or any of them were disqualified, be as valid
as if every such person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a
member of the Committee.
50.
A resolution in writing by all the members of the Committee in Australia
for the time being entitled to receive notice of a meeting of the
Committee, shall be as valid and effectual as if it has been passed at a
meeting of the Committee duly convened and held. Any such resolution may
consist of several documents in like form, each signed by one or more
members of the Committee.
MANAGER / SOCIAL
WORKER
51.
51.
51.
The
Manager and / or Social Worker shall in accordance with the Memorandum
& Articles of Association be appointed by the Committee for such term,
upon such conditions as it thinks fit, and any Manager or Social Worker so
appointed may be removed by it.
SEAL
52.
The
Committee shall provide for the safe custody of the seal which shall only
be used by the authority of the Committee or of a sub-committee of members
of the Committee authorised by the Committee in that behalf, and every
instrument to which the seal is affixed shall be signed by a member of the
committee and shall be countersigned by the Secretary or by a second
member of the Committee or by some other person appointed by the Committee
for the purpose.
ACCOUNTS
53.
The
Committee shall cause proper accounting and other records to be kept and
shall distribute copies of every profit and loss account and balance-sheet
(including every document required by law to be attached thereto)
accompanied by a copy of the Auditors report thereon as required by the
Code PROVIDED however that the Committee shall cause to be made out and
laid before each annual general meeting a balance-sheet and profit and
loss account made up to date not more than two months before the date of
the meeting. The financial year for the keeping of accounts of the Company
shall commence on the 1st day of July.
54.
The Committee shall
from time to time determine in accordance with clause 8 of the memorandum
of association at what times and places under what conditions or
regulations that accounting and other records of the Company shall be open
to the inspection of members.
AUDIT
55.
55.
55.
A properly qualified Auditor or Auditors shall be appointed and his or
their duties regulated in accordance with the Code.
GRANTS
56.
The provisions of clauses 8 and 9 of the memorandum of
association relating to grants shall have effect and be observed as if the
same were repeated in these articles.
NOTICE
57.
Any notice required by law or by or under these articles to be
given to any member shall be given by sending it by post to him at his
registered address, or (if he has not registered address within the State)
to the address, if any, within the State supplied by him to the Company
for the giving of notices to him. Where a notice is sent by post,
service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly
addressing, prepaying, and posting a letter containing the notice, and to
have been effected in the case of a notice of a meeting on the day after
the date of its posting, and in any other case at the time at which
the letter would be delivered in the ordinary course of post.
58.
(1)
Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner
hereinbefore authorised to:
(a)
every member except those members who (having no registered address
within the State) have not supplied to the Company an address within the
State for the giving of notices to them; and
(b)
the auditor or auditors for the time being of the Company.
(2)
No other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general
meetings.
INDEMNITY
59.
Every
member of the Committee, auditor, secretary and other office for the time
being of the Company shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company
against any liability arising out of the execution of the duties of his
office which is incurred by him in defending any proceedings, whether
civil or criminal, in which judgement is given in his favour or in which
he is acquitted or in connection with any application under the Code in
which relief is granted to him by the Court in respect of any negligence,
default, breach of duty or breach of trust.
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