RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF OLD BRENTWOODS(originally adopted on 7th June 1969 and incorporating amendments made in OBJECTS 1. The Society shall be called the ‘Society of Old Brentwoods’. Its objects shall be to afford opportunities to members of meeting at regular intervals; to keep in touch with one another and the School by the circulation of notices and by such means as may from time to time be expedient; to promote the interests of the School. 2. The colours of the Society shall be Dark Blue, Light Blue and White. 3. The Old Brentwoods Chronicle shall be published at such times and sent to such members as the General Committee shall decide; and in making such decisions the General Committee shall pay due regard to the finances of the Society, the contributions or services of the Members and any Resolutions of the Society in General Meeting. 4. The following shall be eligible for membership: (a) All past scholars of Sir Anthony Browne’s School, Brentwood. (b) All past and present Governors, Masters Clerks to the Governors and Bursars of the School. (c) Any other person who, in the opinion of the General Committee, shall have rendered special service to the School, the Society or any of the Society’s affiliated clubs or societies. 5. Only members qualifying under Rule (4) (a) shall be entitled to participate in the property and assets of the Society. 6. (a) All elections of members shall be made by the General Committee and all candidates shall be proposed and seconded by members of the Society. (b) Persons shall not be admitted to the privileges of membership until after the expiration of at least two clear days following the date of their election, and their membership of the Society shall not take effect until their entrance and/or subscription shall have been paid unless the General Committee shall decide to the contrary in any particular case. (c) The name and address of any person proposed for election must for not less than two clear days before election be prominently displayed in the Society’s Club Premises (hereinafter called ‘the Clubhouse’) in a part frequented by the members. (d) Present scholars of the School may be elected during their last term at the School but their respective elections shall not take place until they have left. (e) The Headmaster and Masters of the School may be elected as members without payment of entrance fee or annual subscription but any such person elected under this Rule shall cease to be a member at the end of his service with the School. 7. (a) The General Committee may by written notice suspend from all benefits of membership any member who is more than three months in arrears with payment of his entrance fee or subscription whether payable annually or otherwise until due payment is made and if the member continues in default for a further six months the General Committee may call upon him to resign his membership or remedy his default within a specified time and if fails to resign or remedy his default within the time specified he may be expelled by a resolution of the General Committee provided that before such a resolution is passed he shall have been afforded a sufficient opportunity of giving to the General Committee orally or in writing any explanation of his default. Pending any resignation or consideration by the General Committee of any explanation or defence of his conduct by the member, he may be excluded from the Clubhouse and Sports Ground by resolution of the General Committee. (b) If any member in the opinion of the General Committee has misconducted himself in the Clubhouse or on the Sportsground of the Society he may be excluded therefrom by a resolution of the General Committee until the General Committee has afforded him an early opportunity to explain or defend his conduct before the General Committee orally or in writing and failing any explanation or defence satisfactory to the General Committee his exclusion may be continued for such further period as the General Committee may determine. (c) Any member so expelled under paragraphs (a) or (b) of this Rule shall be duly notified by the General Committee in writing of his expulsion and shall forfeit all rights and claims upon the Society and its property and shall not be eligible for re-election until the expiration of one year from the date of his expulsion. (d) Notice under this Rule shall be deemed to have been duly if delivered or sent by prepaid post to the address of the member appearing in the Society’s register. SUBSCRIPTIONS 8. (a) Members elected before 1st July 1969: The subscription of life membership shall be £6. 6s. 0d. Which may be paid in one sum or as follows: (b) Members elected after 30th June 1969: Unless and until otherwise determined by a Resolution passed at a General Meeting under the provisions of Rule 20 the subscription shall be: (i) £29.38 on election (being £5.88 entrance fee and the first year's annual subscription of £23.50), all sums to be inclusive of Value Added Tax; (ii) annual subscription of £23.50 inclusive of Value Added Tax commencing in the second year after election and payable on 1st July. Provided that the General Committee may modify the above subscriptions as it thinks fit in the case of: (i) any scholars at the School on 30th June, 1969 for whom arrangements had then already been made for payment of a life subscription under paragraph (a) of this Rule. (ii) any members elected as qualified under Rule 4(b) or 4(c). OFFICERS & GENERAL COMMITTEE 9. There shall be elected as Honorary Officers of the Society and as provided herein a President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor of the Chronicle, Registrar, Assistant Registrar, Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer and Social Secretary. Any other office may be created by resolution of the Society at the Annual General Meeting and any person elected thereto shall be an officer within Rule 11 unless such resolution shall provide otherwise. The President shall be elected annually by the General Committee and his term of office shall commence at the next following Annual General Meeting except that the Headmaster shall be a Vice President ex officio. All retiring Officers shall be eligible for re-election and the retiring President shall be eligible for re-election and the retiring President, and elected accordingly. 10. The management and control of the affairs, funds and property of the Society shall be in the hands of the General Committee constituted as provided by Rule 11. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing powers, the General Committee shall have: (a) Power to require the appointment and removal of Trustees of such funds and property. (b) Full power of interpretation of these Rules and shall decide all questions arising as to their construction and shall have power from time to time to alter and amend the Rules relating to the management and use of the Clubhouse and Sports Ground as it shall consider expedient and all such alterations and amendments shall have effect until otherwise determined by the General Committee or a General Meeting. 11. The General Committee shall consist of: (a) The Officers of the Society and (b) One representative of each of the Affiliated Clubs and Societies to be nominated by such Club or Society; and (c) No less than four nor more than twelve other members (Elected Committee Members) to be elected by the Society in General Meeting. 12. Nominations for the election of Elected Committee Members, duly proposed and seconded, must be made in writing and received by the Secretary not later than 14 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting: but nominations may be made at the Meeting in respect of any vacancies for which written nominations have not been received. If the number of nominees exceeds the number of vacancies, voting shall be by ballot by the members present at the Meeting. 13. At the Annual General Meeting in each year all the Elected Committee Members shall retire but shall be eligible for re-election. 14. The General Committee shall meet at least six times in every year and shall, at its first meeting after the Annual General meeting, fix the quorum for its subsequent meetings, until a new quorum if any if any is fixed under this rule. It may fill any casual vacancies which may occur in the General Committee or in the Bar Committee or in the appointment of Auditor. The General Committee may co-opt any other member but no such co-opted member shall have a vote on the General Committee on any matter relating to the expenditure of money or to the property of the Society. 15. At each Annual General Meeting a Bar Committee of not less than two nor more than four members (who may be members of the General Committee) shall be elected and shall hold office until the next following Annual General Committee. AUDITOR AND ACCOUNTS 16. An Auditor shall be elected each year at the Annual General meeting and shall hold office until the next following Annual General Meeting; he shall be eligible for re-election on retirement. 17. The financial year of the Society shall end on 30th April or on such other date as the General Committee shall from time to time decide. GENERAL MEETINGS 18. An Annual General Meeting shall be held once in every year within six months after the end of the financial year (provided that not more than fifteen months shall elapse between the date of one Annual General Meeting and the date of the next) when the General Committee shall present a report of its proceedings and the affairs of the Society and an audited statement of the Accounts. 19. The General Committee may at any time and the Secretary shall, on the written requisition of any ten members stating the business for which it is required, convene at not less than one month's notice an Extraordinary General Meeting for any specific purpose, and the notice shall state the business to be transacted at that meeting. 20.(a) Subject to the provisions of Rule 21 the quorum for a General Meeting shall 20 members attending in person or voting by proxy of whom not less than two thirds shall be members qualified under Rule 4(a) and all matters shall be decided by simple majority of those attending and voting in person or by proxy and in case of equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. (b) A resolution put to the vote of a meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands a poll is demanded by either the Chairman of the meeting or at least two members present in person or voting by proxy. (c) A proxy must be a member of the Society qualified under Rule 4(a). (d) Proxy forms may be deposited at the Society's Clubhouse or delivered to the Hon. Secretary at any time before the meeting for which they are to be used unless otherwise specified in the notice convening the meeting. (e) Proxy forms may be obtained from the Hon. Secretary of the Society. (f) Proxy forms shall be in writing and signed by the appointee or his attorney. The proxy need not be attested. (g) Delivery of a proxy shall not preclude a member from attending and voting in person at the meeting or poll concerned. (h) A proxy shall unless the contrary is stated therein be valid for any adjournment of the meeting as well as for the meeting to which it relates. (i) In every notice convening a General Meeting there shall appear with reasonable prominence a statement that a member entitled to vote is entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and on a poll vote instead of that member. 21. No alteration or addition to these Rules (except so far as the same are reserved to the General Committee or to the Society in General Meeting under these Rules) shall be made except by a resolution passed by a two thirds majority of those attending and voting at a General Meeting at which not less than 25 members are present of whom not less than two thirds shall be members qualified under Rule 4(a). 22. At a General Meeting voting shall be confined to members and to all members entitled to use the Clubhouse shall be entitled to vote and shall have equal voting rights subject to the provisions of Rule 31. DETAILS OF RULE CHANGES 23. (a) The Society shall at least 21 days before any General Meeting either send to every member at his address as recorded in the Society's books or post in a conspicuous place at the Clubhouse a Notice of such a Meeting stating the time when and the place where it will be held and the business to be undertaken and the General Committee shall have power from time to time to decide the manner in which Notice of General meetings shall be given either generally or to any individual member or members. (b) The Society shall also publish in an English Daily Newspaper the date, time and place of each General Meeting. AFFILIATED SOCIETIES 24. (a) Clubs or Societies composed of Old Brentwoods may be affiliated to the Society of Old Brentwoods and shall have power to carry out the objects for which they are formed under the title of "Old Brentwoods" or such other title as the General Committee may authorise provided that: (i) the objects of that Club or Society are compatible with Rule 1 of the Society of Old Brentwoods; (ii) the rules of that Club or Society and subsequent changes to those rules shall be subject to approval by the General Committee of the Society of Old Brentwoods and a copy of its accounts shall be delivered to the Society's Hon. Treasurer not less than once in every year. (b) Persons using the Clubhouse and Sports Ground of the Society of Old Brentwoods shall be members of the Society of Old Brentwoods as defined in Rule 4 except as may be provided under the terms of Rule 31 and 32. (c) Each Affiliated Club/Society shall submit to the General Committee at regular intervals to be decided by the latter a list of persons taking part in its activities. CLUBHOUSE AND SPORTS GROUND 25. The Society's Clubhouse and Sports Ground shall be open at such times as shall be decided by the General Committee and posted on the noticeboard in the Clubhouse but the General Committee shall have power to suspend right of entrance at any time or to alter the days of opening in the case of need at its discretion. 26. When the Clubhouse is open to members the permitted hours for the supply of alcoholic liquors shall be: Summer Season (May - September inclusive) Mondays to Thursdays: Fridays and Saturdays: Sundays: Winter Season (October - April inclusive) Mondays to Thursdays: Fridays and Saturdays: Sundays Christmas Day and Good Friday: but the General Committee shall have the power to vary these hours as it may think fit subject to the permitted hours under the Licensing Act 1964 and any authorisation thereunder extending or varying the permitted hours. 27. Members shall be allowed to admit friends as spectators to the Sports Ground except on days specially reserved by Rule 25. 28. Any member may introduce guests into the Clubhouse providing that no guest shall be introduced who has been expelled from membership of the Society or has been excluded from the Clubhouse under Rule 7(c). 29. No alcoholic liquor shall be ordered for accepted or consumed by any member or other person who is under eighteen years of age. 30. Every member shall be provided with a copy of these Rules. 31(a) The General Committee may (on of such if any fees and subscriptions as it shall from time to time determine) elect as a Family Member of the Society any wife husband or child of a member of the Society provided and so long as such wife husband or child is a member of an Affiliated Club of the Society. Any such election shall be made as provided by Rule 6. (b) A Family member shall not be entitled to receive notice of or attend or vote at any General Meeting of the Society or to hold any office in the Society or to participate in its property and assets. (c) A Family Member shall be subject to re election every year and shall only be entitled to use such facilities of the Society (including the Clubhouse) as the General Committee may from time to time determine. (d) The General Committee may (on of such if any fees and subscriptions as it shall from time to time determine) elect as a Sporting Member of the Society any person who to the satisfaction of the General Committee shall participate regularly in any sporting activities of Affiliated Clubs of the Society centred at the Society's Clubhouse and any such election shall be made as provided by Rule 6. (e) The General Committee may (on payment of any fees and subscriptions as it shall from time to time determine) elect as a Parent Member any person who is the parent of a scholar for the time being of the School and any such election shall be made as provided by Rule 6. (f) The provisions of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Rule 31 shall apply to Sporting Member and a Parent Member in the same way as they apply to a Family Member mutatis mutandis. ADMISSION OF OTHERS TO CLUBHOUSE 32. The General Committee may from time to time authorise the admission to the Clubhouse of persons other than members of the Society or their guests and intoxicating liquors may be sold to such persons by or on behalf of the Society for consumption in the Clubhouse but not elsewhere provided that: (a) Any such person is a guest of a member or a member of a visiting club. (b) In any other case: (i) such person shall be proposed and seconded by members of the Society. (iii) the number of persons so authorised shall at no time exceed 50 in number. (iv) the authority given to such person shall be on such conditions as to subscription and otherwise as the General Committee shall decide, shall be determinable by the General Committee at any time and shall be reviewed at least once in every year. (c) The provisions of the Licensing Act 1964 and any order or regulation made thereunder shall be complied with. September, 2001 |