Rules of the Old Bedfordians Club
(approved at the 2013 AGM)
Name
The Club is called the Old Bedfordians Club (‘the Club’)
1 Objectives
The Club objectives are;
1.1 To foster and maintain the relationship between alumni and to assist and support members in their careers and lives.
1.2 To maintain the bond between Bedford School (‘the School’) and its alumni so that the development of the School aims and objectives are achieved.
2 The Director
2.1 The Director BSA will undertake the responsibilities and assume the complementary title of Director Old Bedfordians Club.
2.2 The Director shall be in charge of every aspect of the day to day conduct of the affairs of the Club and will act in its best interests.
2.3 In performing that duty the Director shall liaise with and follow the instructions of, where applicable, the appropriate officers of the Club together with liaising with the School.
2.4 The Director, wherever possible shall attend and may participate in all formal meetings of the Club and all formal meetings of the Club’s elected and/or nominated representatives, including a meeting of any sub-committee.
2.5 The Director and Assistant Director shall have no vote on any issue in respect of which a vote is taken at any formal meeting.
2.6 The Director or Assistant Director (added) shall take the minutes at any formal Meeting which he/she attends. In the absence of the Director and Assistant Director, the person presiding at such a meeting will nominate one of those attending to take the minutes.
2.7 For the purposes of Rule 11, the Director is an officer of the Club.
3 Membership and Titles
3.1 Members of the Club shall be Alumni of the School who have reached the age of 16 before leaving the School, have been at the School for not less than 2 years, have been approved by the Head Master and Council for membership, and have paid an entrance Fee.
3.2 Honorary Members of the Club shall during the tenure of their appointment be all School Core Management Team members and Masters appointed to the permanent staff of the School and the Preparatory School, and such other persons as shall be elected by the Council.
3.3 Honorary Life Members of the Club shall be Masters who have completed 15 years’ service on the permanent staff of the School and such other persons whom the Council elect.
3.4 Vice-Presidents of the Club shall be Past Presidents of the Club and those persons as are proposed by the Council and elected at an AGM.
3.5 Honorary Vice-Presidents of the Club shall be the Head Master and past Head Masters.
3.6 All the persons listed in the Rules 3.1 to 3.5 shall be entitled to wear the Club tie and colours, to be selected to play for the Club teams, to receive the Club newsletter, to gain access to the Club’s website database, to attend Club functions and to attend and vote at Club general meetings, except that Honorary Members shall not be entitled to vote nor to propose candidates for election.
3.7 Members of the Club shall be entitled Subscribing Members if they pay an annual subscription to the Club of such an amount as the Council shall from time to time decide and in addition to the other privileges of membership shall be entitled to receive the Ousel magazine and the Register.
4 Membership of the Council
4.1 The Club has a Council of a maximum of 12 members who must be elected at the AGM.
4.2 In addition to the elected members, the President and Vice Presidents are ex officio members of the Council, as is the staff representative nominated by the Head Master. All ex officio members of the Council will be eligible to vote apart from the Head Master's representative and Director.
5 Election of members of the Council
5.1 At each AGM a quarter of the members of the Council shall retire in rotation and are eligible for re-election.
5.2 Each member of the Council shall be elected for a period of 4 years.
5.3 Members of the Council shall be proposed and seconded by a member of the Club and the proposal notified to the Director not less than 21 days prior to an AGM.
6 Vacancies on the Council
6.1 The Council may appoint a member to fill any casual vacancy on the Council until the next AGM.
6.2 Any member so appointed must retire at the AGM, but may be elected as a member of the Council at that meeting.
7 Meetings
7.1 Annual General Meetings
7.1.1 An AGM of the Club must be held in June or July of each year at a time and place decided by the Council.
At each AGM:
7.1.2 The audited accounts for the financial year ended 31st December must be presented at the AGM in the next calendar year and if accepted, adopted.
7.1.3 There shall be elections (as required) for:
• President
• Council Members
• Vice Presidents
• Auditors
7.1.4 Any other business may be conducted that has s been communicated to the Director and included in the notice of meetings posted by him/her on the Club’s website may be conducted.
7.1.5 The annual report of the Council shall be considered.
7.1.6 To consider and adopt any amendment to these Rules.
7.2 Extraordinary General Meetings
7.2.1 An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened at any time and must be convened within 21 days on the requisition of one-fifth of the members of the Club for the time being or 30 members whichever is the less.
7.2.2 A requisition must state the purpose for which a meeting is required and must be remitted to the Director.
7.3 Notice Periods and voting arrangements For General Meetings (AGM and EGM)
7.3.1 Notice of meetings. At least 21 days before any General Meeting the Director must post on the Club’s website a notice of the meeting stating the time when and the place where it will be held and the business to be conducted.
7.3.2 Business at any general meeting must be limited to that provided for by these Rules and any further matters set out in the notice convening that meeting.
7.3.3 The quorum at any General Meeting is seven.
7.3.4 Votes: each member attending a General Meeting has one vote.
8 President
8.1 The President shall be elected at an AGM and shall hold office for a term of two years and may be re-elected for one further term.
8.2 The President of the Club presides at all General Meetings of the Club, but if he is not present for a meeting or has signified his inability to be present at the meeting, the senior VP, by length of appointment, in attendance shall be chairman of the meeting.
8.3 The role of the President shall be non-executive.
9 Council
9.1 Terms of reference of the Council
The Council is responsible to the members of the Club for establishing policy, approval of the strategic plan and monitoring and reviewing the management of the Club by the Executive Committee
9.2 The President shall be Chairman of the Council
10 Powers of the Council
10.1 The Council shall:
10.1.1 Review and present the strategic plan for the Club to the AGM
10.1.2 Delegate the power to implement the strategic plan to the Executive Committee
10.1.3 Appoint members of the Executive and its officers
10.1.4 Appoint Trustees of the Bishop Memorial Fund
10.1.5 Monitor the implementation of the strategic plan and approve the budget, investment policy and action plan submitted by the Executive Committee on an annual basis
10.1.6 The Investment Manager shall be such body or person as the Council may from time to time appoint.
10.1.7 Propose to the members of the Club changes to the Rules.
10.2 Membership of the Council: see Rules 4 and 8.
10.3 Meetings of the Council
10.3.1 The Council shall meet at least twice during the year.
10.3.2 A quorum at a meeting of the Council shall be five.
10.3.3 Every issue may be determined by a simple majority of the votes cast at a meeting. Every member has one vote on each issue.
11 The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is responsible to the Council for the day to day management of the Club and the implementation of the strategic plan.
11.1 Membership of the Executive Committee
11.1.1 There shall be seven members of the Executive Committee appointed by the Council, including a Chairman and Treasurer. Any member of the Executive Committee may also be a member of the Council provided that the member to be appointed to the Committee is an elected member and not an ex officio member of the Council.
11.1.2 The Committee may, in addition, co-opt up to three members of the Club including any ex officio member of the Council.
11.2 The Chairman shall be appointed by the Council annually but shall not serve as Chairman for a period in excess of six years. Members may serve a term of three years on the Executive Committee as a member and not normally more than two consecutive terms.
11.3 Meetings of the Executive Committee
11.3.1 It is anticipated that the Executive Committee shall meet between three and six times annually.
11.3.2 A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be five.
11.3.3 Every issue may be determined by a simple majority of votes cast at a meeting. Each member attending has one vote.
11.4 Powers of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is responsible for the management of the Club and has specific authority to:
11.4.1 Prepare the strategic plan for approval by the Council.
11.4.2 Prepare the annual action plan/budget for presentation and approval by the Council.
11.4.3 Delegate specific projects or tasks to sub committees as required.
11.4.4 Direct the work of the Director and his/her staff.
11.4.5 Appoint and direct DVPs and support their activities
11.4.6 Execute all tasks delegated to it by the Council.
11.4.7 Receive, invest and disburse monies received by the Club and also reposition
investments with the approval of the Council.
12 Old Bedfordians Events
12.1 Members should always be encouraged to help organise events, butno officer (whether elected or otherwise) or member of the Club, is authorised in respect of any event or proposed event to represent (whether by published announcement, advertisement or otherwise) that the event is an Old Bedfordians Club event unless that event has been approved by the Director/Assistant Director, in advance.
12.2 An event will qualify as an Old Bedfordians Club event only if each of the following two conditions is satisfied: namely;
- it is an event (whether social, sporting or otherwise) which is either organised and/or funded (in each case whether in whole or in part) by the Club, and
- the organising and/or funding (in each case whether in whole or in part) of the event by the Club was approvedin advance by the Director/Assistant Director prior to the holding of the event.
12.3 A social event limited to a maximum of 50 persons which is organised for Old Bedfordians by a DVP acting in that capacity does not require the approval of the Executive Committee.
12.4 Widows of members may be invited at their cost to Club events.
13 Resignation of members
Any members wishing to resign shall give notice in writing to the Director and shall not be entitled to the return in whole or in part of any subscription paid.
14 Expulsion from the Club
14.1 The Executive Committee may expel any member who offends the rules of the Club or whose conduct in the opinion of the Committee, renders him unfit for membership of the Club.
14.2 Before any such member is expelled the Director must give him 28 days written notice to attend a meeting of the Executive Committee and must inform him of the complaints made against him.
14.3 No member may be expelled unless he has first had an opportunity to appear before the Executive Committee and answer complaints made against him and at least two thirds of the Executive Committee then present vote in favour of his expulsion.
15 Liabilities of the Club
15.1 No persons other than the Treasurer Director, Assistant Director or other person so authorised by the Executive Committee shall have the power to incur expenditure on behalf of the Club.
15.2 The Club shall in no way be liable for any unauthorised expenditure which shall be the sole responsibility of the person authorising the same.