Constitution of the Revesby Writers

January 19, 2019

1. Name

The name of the group shall be Revesby Writers.

2. Aims

The aims of the Revesby Writers will be:

To promote creative writing as an intellectual pursuit among interested members of the community.

To promote excellence in writing through:

• mutual support and exchange of knowledge within the writer community.
• participation by ‘members’ in the RW’s writing activities and peer review.
• participation in other writer related activities sponsored by RW.
• contribution to the RW’s annual or any other such publication.
• assisting ‘members’ with access to external resources for learning and publishing.
• encouraging regular attendance to RW meetings and fellowship within the Group.

3. Membership

• Membership is open to anyone of any age who supports the aims and objectives of the group.
• Membership of the Revesby Workers Club is strongly advised, being the sponsor of the group.
• Membership will begin at any time the new member wishes to join.
• There is no membership fee.
• A list of all members will be kept by the membership secretary. 
• Members may resign at any time by notifying the group president.
• Members will notify the group at any time if they wish to cease being a member.
• Revesby Writers was originally the Bankstown sub branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers and has since become a separate entity. Membership to the Fellowship is optional.4. Officers and committee

The business of the group will be carried out by a Committee, appointed from time to time by the members. The Committee will meet as necessary or once a month as needed. The committee will be elected by the group at the beginning of each year.

The Committee will consist of at least three members, including the president.

The officers’ roles are as follows:

Chair/President, who shall chair both general and committee meetings and enforce the laws, decrees and guideline of the constitution.

Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all papers, and responsible for keeping records of members.

Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts.

In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members.

5. Group Meetings

RW members will meet at least once a month on the first Saturday of the month at an agreed time. Any changes to this routine should be agreed by the committee and all members ahead of time.

6. Rules of Procedure for meetings

All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.

If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the president of the meeting shall have the deciding vote.

7. Finances

An account will be maintained on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the committee. Three cheque signatories will be nominated by the Committee (one to be the Treasurer).  The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.

For cheque payments, two of the signatories will sign the cheque.

Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting.

All money raised by or on behalf of RW is only to be used to further the aims of the group.

9. Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the constitution may only be made at a Special General Meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the President in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present at the Special General Meeting and entitled to vote.

10. Dissolution

If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close the group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.

If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation nominated by the Revesby Workers Club upon agreement of the club and the group. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.

This constitution was agreed at the General Meeting of the Revesby Writers on:

Date February 2nd, 2019.

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