QARNNS ASSOCIATION | CONSTITUTION

CONSTITUTION of the QARNNS ASSOCIATION

The name of the Association shall be ‘The QARNNS Association’

OBJECT

The object of the Association shall be to further the efficiency of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service for the public benefit, by fostering esprit de corps amongst it’s members and by providing relief for past and present members and their dependents who are in conditions of need, hardship and distress.

RULES

1. MEMBERSHIP
Past and present members of QARNNS, QARNNS(R) and VAD(RN) shall be eligible for membership of the Association.

Any member (life or annual) whose contact details become unknown to the Association shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Association and their name shall be removed from the Membership list. ***see below

2. SUBSCRIPTIONS
Members will pay an annual subscription, the amount to be proposed by the Treasurer and agreed by the members at an Annual General Meeting.
All annual subscriptions shall be treated as income of the Association, for it’s general charitable purposes unless the Annual General Meeting otherwise direct.

Non payment of subscriptions: a member who is in arrears with his/her subscription for 2 consecutive years shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Association and their name shall be erased from the membership list. *** see below

*** Re 1 & 2 above. A member who has ceased to belong to the Association either through resignation, non payment or loss of contact details may rejoin on payment of the current annual subscription.

3. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
An Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held.

4. NEWSLETTER
Newsletters will be issued. Payment of the annual subscription will entitle a member to receive them for the current year.

5. ACCOUNTS

The Treasurer shall present the Association Accounts at the Annual General Meeting. Prior to this two Auditors who shall be appointed by the Committee shall audit the Accounts.
The auditors may be members of the Association but not of the Committee.

6. BRANCHES
Branches of the Association may be formed at home and abroad.

ADMINISTRATION

1. THE PRESIDENT
A senior retired QARNNS Officer shall be invited to assume the office of President of the QARNNS Association and shall serve for a term of 3 years. She/ he may serve up to two terms (maximum 6 years).

2. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The Executive Officers of the Association shall be:
The Chair, who shall be elected by the members of the Association. The Secretary
The Treasurer

3. COMMITTEE
The committee of the QARNNS Association shall consist of ten members

The Chair

Eight members (of whom one may be a serving member) shall be elected by the members of the Association to serve for a term of three years and may normally serve up to a maximum of two terms (six years) unless there are extenuating circumstances. From these eight members the committee will select the posts of Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Membership Secretary and Social Secretary.

Head of QARNNS (Ex-Officio)

Five members of the Committee shall form a quorum

The Newsletter Editor shall attend Committee meetings but has no vote.

4. BRANCHES

Branches of QARNNS Association may be formed at home and abroad.
The organisation of the Branches will follow the same general pattern as that of the Main Association.

Branches will appoint their own officers and must be financially self supporting. Approval of the Association Committee will be required before a Branch is formed.

All members of a Branch must be members of the Association.

If removed from the Association membership for whatever reason then that person shall also be removed from Branch membership.

5. AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION

Additions or Amendments to the Constitution must be approved by a two- thirds majority of members present at an Annual General Meeting, provided that no amendments shall be made to the Objects of the Association set out above or to this clause or to Clause 6 thereof and that no amendments shall be made to the Constitution which would cause the Association to cease to be a charity at law.

6. If at any time, the Association in General Meeting, after a resolution proposing the dissolution of the Association has been passed by a two-thirds majority of the members attending and voting at that meeting, determines that the Association should be dissolved, then any assets remaining after the payment of all proper debts and liabilities, shall not be distributed amongst members but shall be applied as the same general meeting shall direct, to charitable purposes similar to those set out in the Objects of this Constitution, and in default thereof to some charitable purpose.

Charity Registration No. 276376

Sept 2007 - revised June 2016

2nd revision June 2022