CONSTITUTION

Name
1. The name of the Club is "Dalry Burns Club".

Objects
2. The objects of the Club shall be:
To advance the literary, linguistic, musical and artistic heritage of Scotland by perpetuating the memory of Robert Burns
and the appreciation of his work through friendly relationships and fellowship in the traditions of this club
and by promoting our aims within the wider community.

Membership
3. (a) The membership shall be limited to ninety male members. Every applicant for membership of the Club
and who has already been a guest at the Anniversary Dinner must be proposed and seconded
by two members on a form prescribed by the Committee, which form shall be signed by the applicant
and shall contain his full name and address and also a declaration by the sponsors that they are personally
acquainted with the applicant whom they know to be interested in Burns and his works.

(b) All application forms must be lodged in the hands of the Secretary before the first day of October
in each year and he shall at the earliest opportunity submit them to the Committee for consideration.

(c) After consideration by the Committee, the names of the applicants shall, if approved,
be posted to the members. Should no written objections be received by the Secretary within fourteen days
from the date of intimation, the applicant will be deemed to have been elected a member.

(d) In the event of any objection being intimated, the Committee, after discussing the matter with the objecting
member and with the proposer and seconder, shall decide whether to accept or reject the application.

(e) In the event of any application for membership being rejected, intimation to that effect shall be
given to the applicant and also to his proposer and seconder. No member or applicant for membership
shall be entitled to demand or receive any explanation of a rejection.

(f) On an applicant for membership being elected, the Secretary shall notify him of his election
and furnish him with a copy of the Constitution.

(g) In the event of the number of approved applications exceeding the number of vacancies,
priority will be according to the date on the application form. Should there be
two or more applications of the same date, the decision will be at the discretion of the Committee.

(h) The Annual Subscription for membership shall be determined annually by the Committee.
Any member whose subscription remains unpaid after the Anniversary Dinner shall be notified
and if unpaid by the twenty-eighth day of February in that year,
such membership will be deemed to have lapsed, subject to clause 3 (j) below.

(i) All members not attending the Anniversary Dinner for three consecutive years shall be
deleted from membership, subject to clause 3 (j) below.

(j) In the event of any member forfeiting membership under either or both of clauses 3 (h) and 3 (i),
the Committee shall give consideration to any mitigating or aggravating circumstances
and shall have discretion in the matter of the member's continuing membership.

(k) A member may be expelled for conduct deemed to be inconsistent with the Objects,
injurious to the interests, or discreditable to the members of the Club. The Secretary,
on receiving written notice from seven members suggesting reasons for expulsion
of a member or members, shall within fourteen days call an
Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club to consider the matter.
Seven days' notice of such meeting must be given to Club members.
A two-thirds majority of members present and voting is necessary for expulsion.


Honorary & Life Membership
4. (a) The Club may elect Honorary Members, such members to be persons who have
rendered conspicuous or meritorious service to the Burns Movement or to Dalry Burns Club.
Honorary Members are not obliged to pay a membership subscription.

(b) The Club may elect Life Members, such members to be persons who have rendered conspicuous
or meritorious service to the Burns Movement or to Dalry Burns Club and,
for whatever reason, are unlikely to be able to attend Club functions or activities.

Guests
5. All nominations for guests at the Anniversary Dinner are to be in the hands of the Secretary
in a timely manner, at a date determined by the Committee and advised to members.
The number of guests shall be at the discretion of the Committee and depending on the accommodation available.
The Club, and its members, shall be entitled to invite guests and they shall be gentlemen in the community
or public life who have rendered notable service to the Burns Federation or to Dalry Burns Club.

Management
6 (a) The office-bearers shall consist of Chairman, Immediate Past Chairman, Croupier,
Secretary and Treasurer. The office-bearers and up to twelve elective members shall form
the committee of the Club - five a quorum - and shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election.
Each committee member shall be deemed a Charity Trustee in terms of OSCR regulations.
In the event of one member holding more than one office-bearer's position,
the number of elective committee members may be increased to compensate. The member with
the longest membership shall be ex-officio a member of the Committee.
In the event of two or more with equal membership, the oldest member in age shall take precedence.

(b) The Croupier shall be deemed to be the Chairman-elect. The Croupier shall be appointed at the
Annual General Meeting in each year. He shall be chosen according to seniority of membership,
provided he has previously given a toast properly accomplished. In the event of more than one member
having the same qualification, appointment should be on an alphabetical basis.

(c) The Committee shall manage the affairs of the Club. In the event of vacancies occurring
in Committee after Annual Election, the remaining members have powers to fill the vacancies.

(d) The Secretary shall keep a Minute Book in which shall be entered all the proceedings of the Club.
He shall conduct the correspondence and convene all Club and Committee meetings.

(e) Members are entitled to attend committee meetings as observers.
They may not partake in committee proceedings, including discussions and voting.

Finance
7. (a) The Treasurer shall transact all business in connection with the Funds of the Club
and shall keep a complete record of his intromissions. The bank account shall be in the name of
"Dalry Burns Club" and shall be operated by the Treasurer. An external scrutineer shall be appointed
at the Annual Meeting to audit the Treasurer's accounts which shall be closed at 28th February each year.

(b) None of the Club's assets may be distributed or otherwise applied (on being wound up
or at any other time) except to further its charitable purposes.

Meetings
8. (a) The Anniversary Dinner shall be held on the Friday nearest to the twenty-fifth day of January.
Members unable to be present shall notify the Secretary at least three days before the Annual Supper
otherwise they shall be provided for and must pay the levy.

(b) At the Anniversary Dinner, no guest or member other than the Chairman or Croupier shall occupy
the floor for more than twelve minutes at a time, the only exception being the recitation of a Burns poem.

(c) The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held on the last Thursday of March in each year
for the consideration of reports, election of Office-Bearers and members of Committee for the following
year and for the transaction of general business. Twelve members shall form a quorum.
The Secretary shall give at least ten days' notice of this meeting together with an Agenda of the business.

(d) Any five members of the Committee or nine members of the Club shall have powers to instruct the
Secretary to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting. The Secretary shall then give at least ten days'
clear notice thereof to all members stating the object for which the meeting has been called.
No Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called twice in one year for the same object.

(e) The Chairman at all meetings shall have a casting as well as a deliberative vote.

(f) The Committee shall fix the time and place of their meetings and shall meet as often as may be
found necessary. At the request of any three members of the Committee indicating the reason therefor,
the Secretary shall call a special meeting of the Committee and shall give three days' notice
to all Committee members.


9. These Rules shall not be added to or altered except at an Annual General Meeting or at an
Extraordinary General Meeting specially called for the purpose with not less than twelve members present
and then only by a majority of two-thirds of those present and voting.
Every alteration proposed must be submitted in writing to the Secretary at least twenty-one days
before such General Meetings and shall be specified in the Notice calling the Meetings.

Winding-Up
10. If, on the winding-up of the Club, any property remains after satisfaction of all the Club's debts
and liabilities, such property shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Club;
that property shall instead be transferred to some other charity or charities (whether incorporated
or unincorporated) whose objects are similar (wholly or in part) to the objects of the Club.

31st March, 2022