RULES
1. TITLE
The club shall be called the RHINEFIELD PROBUS CLUB.
2. AIM
To promote fellowship amongst retired professional and businessmen.
3. MEMBERSHIP
Membership, which shall, at the discretion of the Committee, be limited to a maximum of fifty-two, is open to professional and business men resident in Brockenhurst and the surrounding areas who are wholly or partially retired from their normal occupations.
Applications for membership must be proposed and seconded by existing members and submitted on the prescribed form to the Committee. If approved, membership will date from the first meeting following the Committee’s approval, subject to the correct dues having been paid.
A bona fide paid up member of any other Probus Club who comes to reside permanently in Brockenhurst or surrounding areas may, at the discretion of the Committee, be accepted on to the Club’s official Waiting List with the same status as those already on the Waiting List until a regular vacancy occurs for full membership.
4. SUBSCRIPTION
The annual subscription will be due on the 1st December each year and shall be such sum as determined by the Committee for review and approval at the Annual General Meeting. A new member joining the Club on or after the 1st June shall pay fifty per cent of the subscription for the remainder of that financial year. Subscriptions will not be returnable to members leaving part-way through a year.
5. OFFICERS
The officers of the Club shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting to serve for the ensuing year and shall consist of the CHAIRMAN, VICE-CHAIRMAN, SECRETARY, TREASURER, SOCIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR and SPEAKERS SECRETARY.
The Chairman shall not serve consecutively for more than one complete term of one year, nor other officers for more than three, but periods of less than one year served filling a casual vacancy shall not be subject to this rule.
6. COMMITTEE
The Club shall be managed by the Committee elected at each Annual General Meeting for the ensuing year which shall consist of the officers detailed above and the Chairman of the previous year. A vacancy arising in the course of the year shall be filled by the Committee. The quorum shall be four Committee members. The Committee may appoint sub-committees for specific purposes.
7. MEETINGS
Meetings shall be held as arranged and that held in November shall normally be the Annual General Meeting. At the request of not less than ten Members, a special general meeting shall be called of which not less than one month’s notice shall be given, indicating the purpose for which the meeting is called. Voting at all meetings shall be by a simple majority by a show of hands, the Chairman having a casting vote in the event of a tie. The election of officers may be carried out by ballot at the discretion of the Chairman.
8. POLITICAL SECTARIAN NEUTRALITY
The Club shall be non-political, non-sectarian and non-profit making.
9. GUESTS
With the previous consent of the Secretary, members may invite a guest or guests to all Club meetings except the Annual General Meeting. But the same guest shall not be invited more than four times in any one year without the express permission of the Committee.
10. ACCOUNTS
The Club’s financial year shall end on 30th September. An Income and Expenditure Account and a Balance Sheet shall be made up to that date, certified by the Honorary Examiner, and presented for approval to the Annual General Meeting.
11. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Business to be conducted at the Club AGM will in normal course be identified by the Committee in accordance with provisions of this rule. Any other business proposed for an AGM shall be notified in writing to the Club Secretary by at least two full members of the Club, at least 14 days in advance of the meeting. Notification of candidates for office in the succeeding year, other than proposed by the Committee, shall be subject to this rule. Acceptance of any such business suggested for the AGM shall be at the discretion of the Committee.
Notice of the Club AGM shall be circulated to Club members at least 28 days in advance of the meeting. It will identify all business to be transacted and be accompanied by a copy of the examined annual accounts for the year and the minutes of the previous year’s AGM.
The business of the Annual General Meeting shall include:
(a) The minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting
(b) The Chairman’s remarks.
(c) Report by the Secretary on the year, including, deaths, resignations, new members, average attendance and the like.
(d) Report by the Treasurer on the accounts for the year as certified by the Honorary Examiner, the financial position and his recommendation on the subscription for the ensuing year.
(e) The election of officers, other committee members and the Honorary Examiner for the ensuing year. The Honorary Examiner shall not be an officer of the Club nor a member of the committee.
12. BANKING
The Committee shall appoint a Bank to act as the Club’s Banker and require cheques to be signed by the Treasurer alone or by the Chairman or Secretary together with any other member of the Committee.
13. FORFEITURE OF MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be forfeited by:
(a) Failure to pay the normal subscription within three months of the due date
(b) Absence from four consecutive monthly meetings
(c) Failure to attend at least 50 per cent of the monthly meetings in any one year.
Each case will be considered by the Committee and forfeiture of membership may be waived where valid cause for the contravention of this rule exists.
14. WINDING UP
Should membership of the Club fall to less than twenty, the Secretary shall call a special general meeting at which the Chairman shall put a resolution to wind up the Club. Should dissolution be decided the assets of the Club, if any, shall be dealt with as directed by the meeting.
15. COUNTRY MEMBER
A member resigning through illness or removal from the district but who would be in a position to make occasional attendances may, at the discretion of the Committee, be made a “Country” member. The annual subscription would not be payable, there would be no right to vote at meetings and a “country” member would not be included in the maximum of fifty-two members. Meeting dues or other expenses would be due when attending.
16. WAITING LIST
The Waiting List will be restricted to a maximum of eight names.
17. AMENDMENTS
Amendments to these rules will normally only be made at an Annual General Meeting. Notwithstanding Rule 7, no amendment to the Rules shall be adopted without agreement of more than fifty per cent of the total membership.
18. DEATH OF A MEMBER
On the death of a member or, where the Chairman and Welfare Officer together consider it appropriate, a Country Member or a Waiting Member:
(i) The Chairman will request a minute’s silence at the next Club meeting of Probus.

(ii) The Chairman or Welfare Officer will send a card or letter, as seems appropriate, to the Partner.
(iii) The Welfare Officer or his designee will determine from the Partner whether it would be appropriate for the Club to be represented at the funeral/memorial service.
(iv) The Welfare Officer or his designee will enquire of the Partner whether flowers or a donation to a favoured charity would be preferred. For the year to December 2010 the amount of the donation will be £25 but thereafter the Committee may review and, if appropriate, revise this amount.
(v) If the Member is not survived by his Partner, the card or letter will be written to and the contact made with an appropriate member of the surviving family;

A policy corresponding to items (ii) to (iv) of the above will apply to the death of a Partner of a current member of the Club.
NOVEMBER 2014

Privacy Statement

As a member of Rhinefield Probus Club we will collect/hold information about you to manage your membership as follows:

Full name, Home address, Home/mobile telephone number, Email address, interests, partners name, career information and photograph

Here at Rhinefield Probus Club we take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your membership and to provide information in relation to Rhinefield Probus Club events and news.

However, from time to time we would like to contact you with details of external events deemed relevant for the club. All communications direct to you will be made by email and only from current Committee members.

We will not pass on your personal information directly to any third party.

Your information will be shared with other members of  Rhinefield Probus Club by publication in the Year Book which is only available to club members..

In the event you cease to be a member of Rhinefield Probus Club your records will be deleted from the club membership database within 6 months of you ceasing to be a member.