BY-LAWS OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (INCORPORATED)

General

These By-Laws are to be read in conjunction with the Constitution of the Royal Australian Engineers Association of WA (Inc) and lay out rules for the smooth running and guidance of this Association in accordance with Rule 27 of the Constitution.

These By-Laws must be approved by the Committee and changes documented in the Minutes of the Meeting. By-Laws are to be made available to Association members on request.

New By-Laws and changes to existing By-Laws can be presented by any committee member to the committee for consideration. One Committee Meeting’s notice is to be given and copies of the proposed changes are to be provided to each committee member when notice is given, for their consideration.

By-Law 1 – Post Office Box

The Association shall maintain a post office box as its official contact address. The box key is to be held by the Secretary, if a second key is required, it is to be held by the Treasurer.

By-Law 2 – The Patron (Rule 19)

The Association may have a Patron. The Committee shall nominate a Patron who will be contacted by the President to confirm their willingness to fill the position. If accepted, the nomination would be tabled at the next Annual General Meeting, which will elect the Patron.

The length of any appointed term of a Patron shall be three (3) years. If the Patron is in agreeance, the Committee may extend the appointment by a further three (3) years.

Whilst it is not expected that the Patron could or should perform all the duties listed below, it would be expected that the Patron attends as many as possible.

Duties Of The Patron:

  1. Attend Association General Meetings.
  2. Attend the Annual General Meeting and when all Committee positions are declared vacant, assume the chair and facilitate the election of the Executive Committee.
  3. Attend functions organised by the Association.
  4. Attend functions organised by 13 Field Squadron where the Association is invited, eg Waterloo Dinner.
  5. Attend the Dawn Service at the Association Memorial Precinct.
  6. March with the Association on ANZAC Day.
  7. Attend events where the service of Sappers is commemorated.
  8. Promote the Association when talking to or meeting fellow Officers and Sappers.
  9. The length of any appointed term of a Patron shall be three (3) years. If the Patron is in agreement, the Committee may extend the appointment.

By-Law 3 – Financial Accounts

3a – Petty Cash

Petty Cash is an amount of money held by the Treasurer to reimburse Committee Members the cost of minor purchases made in the performance of their role on the Committee.

The maximum amount of Petty Cash allowed to be held, shall be one hundred (100) dollars.

The maximum amount of each reimbursement shall not exceed twenty five (25) dollars.

Petty Cash shall be used for the purchase of items such as biros, staples, printing paper, booklet of stamps and other small items.

Amounts over twenty five (25) dollars shall be reimbursed by cheque or other banking financial means.

3b – Business Debit Card Facility

Members of the Board may be provided with a BOQ Business Debit Card facility for purchase of goods and services on behalf of the Association, that provides a maximum purchase capacity of $1,000.00 per day.

The Officer (purchasing goods and services) is to provide all relevant invoices and or receipts to the Treasurer as soon as possible after the purchase.

The Treasurer is to review all bank statements against the receipts to confirm that expenditure is related to Association business.

Officers Bearers utilising the BOQ Business Debit Card facility will be subject to review and where expenditure is not bona fide after purchase, the matter is to be investigated per Rule 7 (f) of the Constitution and acted upon as required by Law.

Officers Bearers provided with the BOQ Business Debit Card facility are limited to the following:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer

3c- Term Deposits

The Committee may decide that funds be put to work in Term Deposits to gain interest that they would not obtain in a standard banking account and/or the Welfare Account.

Any Term Deposits would be placed within a banking structure of a recognised Australian Financial Institution.

The Board shall decide the amount and term (time/duration) of any Term Deposits, taking into consideration the cash flow and expenditure requirements of the association for that period of time and report the decision to the committee.

3d – eBay and PayPal Accounts

eBay and PayPal accounts have been set up to allow the Association, to buy and sell merchandise from and to members, other Associations, military units and the Australian Military Shop and museums.

Both Accounts are to be controlled by the Secretary who holds all account details and passwords.

The eBay and PayPal accounts are linked to the Secretaries BOQ Business Debit Card.

The Secretary is responsible for posting items on eBay and administration of any items that are sold.

The Secretary in consultation with the Board may buy any items and on sell on eBay. The Secretary will provide all relevant invoices and/or receipts to the Treasurer as soon as possible and reconcile the account, after the purchase.

In case of an emergency the President will have a sealed envelope with the details of all accounts in it.

By-Law 4 – Fund Raising

4a – General

Monies required for a cash float or the purchase of materials for fund raising events in general, eg sausage sizzles, shall be drawn out of the General Working Account. At the end of the fund raising event, the amount of money for the cash float shall be taken from the monies collected at the end of the event and deposited in the General Working Account as a separate deposit.
All other expenses which are covered by receipts shall be deducted from the total funds raised.

4b – Special Events

Fundraising for special events, eg sponsorships, which have been approved by the
Committee, a Sub-Committee shall be formed to undertake a suitable fundraising method as endorsed by the Committee.

All revenue raised by the fund raising event or by donations, shall be deposited into the General Working Account. If there is a separate bank account for the fund raising event, then monies shall be transferred from the General Working Account to the event bank account.

By-Law 5 – Welfare Fund

The amount held in the Welfare Fund shall not fall below two thousand ($2,000) dollars. Where necessary and as required, additional funds shall be transferred from the General Account into the Welfare Account.

Money may be placed in a higher interest-bearing account as per By-Law 3, Financial Accounts, By-Law 3c, Term Deposits. The Board shall ensure that adequate funds are retained to assist our membership for the term of the deposit.

An Association member who is able to demonstrate financial hardship shall upon written application and approved by a minimum of three members of the board, be entitled to welfare assistance. In the event that three members of the Board are not available to vote on the application, a Committee Member may be invited to be the third member required for approval.

The maximum amount of Welfare Funds payable shall not exceed one thousand ($1,000) dollars and is to be paid to the service provider or medical practitioner in the case of medical hardship.

An exception to By-Law 5, paragraph 4, shall be where an appeal has been established to support and help Sappers who have been the victim of a natural disaster, for example – flood, fire, land slide or similar such disaster. With a 2/3rd majority vote of the committee, a donation not exceeding one thousand ($1,000) dollars shall be made to the relief appeal.

All claims are to be kept confidential and are not open for discussion.

By-Law 6 – Property and Goods

A member of the Committee shall be appointed as the Property Member and shall keep a Property Register of all property and goods owned or held on loan by the Association.

Property depreciation/appreciation should be decided by the Committee on an annual basis.

By-Law 7 – Duties of Ordinary Committee Members

From time to time, ordinary Committee Members may be required to undertake responsibility of additional duties for the benefit of the members or their families.

Additional duties may include but not be limited to social events, visits and excursions, fund raising, Flags and Banners and any other duties requested by the Board.

By-Law 8 – Social Events

Committee Member/s selected to organise social events shall advise the Committee of the event being organised and where necessary seek approval for the expenditure of Association funds required to hold such event.

The Social Member/s shall keep the Committee advised of progress in the organising of the event and give ample notice of the details to the members of the upcoming event.

By-Law 9 – Flags & Banners

Committee member/s selected to look after the Association’s Flags and Banners and other Corps items, shall be responsible for the care, maintenance and safe keeping of such items.
Flags and Banners and other Corps items shall be carried on ANZAC Day, at commemorative service events, where the Flags and Banners have been requested to be present and at funerals where requested by the family.
The selected member/s shall arrange the necessary number of flag carriers required to carry the Flags and Banners requested for the event.

By-Law 10 – Sponsorship of the Australian Army Cadets

Committee Members are to raise funds as per By Law 4b in support of sponsoring the Australian Army Cadets that are selected as worthy recipients of an encouragement sponsorship for ongoing education that will assist their aims and achievements in progressing to a possible defence career.
The recipients are to be chosen by the Officer Commanding the Australian Army Cadets of Western Australia and reviewed by the Board before payment is made.
There may be two recipients who are considered appropriate. Where two scholarships are to be awarded annually, each shall be to the value of $500.00.
The first award being in July of each year to the incoming Cadet Under Officer and the second award being in January of each year to the incoming Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major.
The Scholarships are to be presented by the President or in his absence, by the Vice President or his delegate.
The funding of the Sponsorship is to be placed upon the expenditure for each finical year to be reviewed by the Committee. Where additional Funds are necessary the Association may appoint a Committee Member/s to undertake a suitable Fund-Raising method as endorsed by the Committee.
All revenue obtained for the purpose of sponsorship (donations) is to be presented as income into the Army Cadet Scholarship Account and paid from that account.

By-Law 11 –Financial Membership Statements

Financial membership is to be from 31 August of each year. Payment of fees for new members are to be made prior to the Annual General Meeting of that year to have a voting right at that Annual General Meeting.

Membership fees are due on the 30th of June each year, members will have two months grace before becoming a Non-Financial member, notwithstanding the Constitution – Rule 7 (e).
The Treasurer is to provide the number of non-financial members at the first Committee Meeting after the Annual General Meeting to ratify the Budget capacity of the Association for the financial year at hand. Where necessary the budget is to be adjusted accordingly to the funds available.
Non-financial members identified at this point of time are to receive notification by the 1 October of that year that they are no longer financial and will be omitted from the Associations Membership List.

By-Law 12 – Association Administration

A copy of all incoming and outgoing correspondence relating to the administration of the Association, whether it be in letter or email form, is to be forwarded to the Secretary for record and archival purposes.

All official correspondence, letters or emails sent to Government Departments, outside agencies or companies are to be on Association official letterhead for the covering page and follow-on pages are to be numbered eg: -2- , -3- etc.

Attached documents are to be listed after the signature block and are to be listed as Annex A, Annex B, etc.

All official external emails are to be signed in either of the examples shown –

Regards or Kind Regards

eg 1. JR Smith (or John Smith) eg 2. FC Baker (or Fred Baker)

Committee Member Secretary
All forms such as Membership Application, Membership Renewal, Board of Management Nomination and AGM Notifications are to be approved by the board and are to be forwarded to all members by the Secretary or Treasurer unless otherwise delegated.

By-Law 13 – Tabling a Motion Procedure

  • Constitutional Amendments

    Any member of the Association can move a Motion at a meeting without notice during general business unless notice has been given 24 hours prior to the meeting for the Motion to be listed as an “Item of Business”.
    When a Motion is being presented to the meeting, the following procedure shall be followed –

    • A member moves a Motion of no more than one sentence long. Example – Motion: That the meeting endorse the request from ?? to affiliate with the Association.
    • The Motion is seconded. If there is no seconder, the Motion lapses.
    • The mover speaks on the Motion for a period of 3 minutes outlining the purpose and details of the proposed motion and tables any documents pertaining to the Motion.
    • The seconder speaks in support of the Motion for a period of 3 minutes.
    • The Motion is open to the floor for members to alternatively speak against and for the Motion. No member can speak on the Motion twice. Speakers are limited to the subject at hand and may speak for 2 minutes.
    • After completion of all discussion, the mover has a right of reply and can speak for 3 minutes.
    • The Motion as finalised is to be read and confirmed by the chair as Quote “Motion: That the meeting … etc “Unquote.
    • The Motion is voted on verbally or by show of hand.
    • The chair shall confirm the Motion as being Won or Lost for the benefit of the meeting.
  • Constitutional Amendments

    A Motion to change the Constitution is to be forwarded in writing to the Secretary at least 28 days prior to an Annual General Meeting. The Motion must be signed by the mover and the seconder.
    An Executive meeting is to be held to discuss the Motion and seek clarification if required.
    The Secretary is to send all members a copy of the Motion prior to the meeting.
    The Motion shall be the first order of business at the meeting and the procedure set out above shall be followed.