Constitution

(a) Any person who has been a bone - fide student or teacher at Wesley College Colombo for a period of at least one calendar year, and interested in actively furthering the object of the Union and contributing an annual sum known as the Annual Membership fee, which shall be determined at the Annual General Meeting, may be a full member of the Union.

(b) Notwithstanding sub – clause (a) above, the executive Committee may at its discretion allow a reduce membership fee for retired members, students and other deserving persons.

(c) A member shall be admitted to Life Membership on a payment of the life membership fee, which shall be ten times the current annual membership fee.

(d) At the instance of the Executive Committee the members may at any meeting elect to honorary membership any person who in the opinion of the Union has made and/or continues to make an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the college.

(e) Sons of Old Boys of Wesley College Colombo, will be eligible to become Associate Members of the Wesley College OBU (UK) and these associate members will be eligible to take part in all activities of the OBU, including representing the OBU in sports competitions.

(f) The Executive Committee may grant associate membership to any person who has close association with Wesley College Colombo. The associate member admitted according to this criterion will not be eligible to represent the OBU in sports competitions.

(g) Associated members shall not be eligible to vote at the Annual General meeting nor will they be eligible to become members of the Executive Committee.

(h) Any member whose membership fee remains unpaid on the date one week before the Annual General meeting or on 15^th November of the year, whichever is the earliest, shall not be eligible to vote at the Annual general Meeting and such member shall not be eligible for election to the Executive Committee.

4. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

(a) The officers of the Union shall comprise: Patrons, Vice Patrons, Honorary President,

Hon Vice Presidents, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Membership Secretary, Honorary Social Secretary, Honorary Sports Secretary and Honorary Public Relations/Editorial Secretary.

The Honorary President, Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer elected at the Annual General meeting shall become the principal officers of the Union.

(b) The officers shall be elected by a simple majority vote at the Annual General Meeting, by full members as defined in clause 3(a).

(c) The President, Vice President (2), Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Social Secretary, sports secretary, PRO/Editor and Five Committee members shall form the Executive Committee.

(d) The Five Committee members shall be elected to the Executive Committee by a simple majority vote at the annual general Meeting, as stated in clause 4(b) above.

(e) In the event of an office falling vacant, the Executive Committee shall invite a member of the Union to hold office until the next Annual General meeting.

(f) Only full members as defined in clause 3(a) and who has been member for at least a full year shall be eligible to hold office.

(g) All officers and Committee members shall retire each year and offer themselves for re-election. No member shall hold office for more than four years with the exception of the President who shall not hold office for more than two consecutive years except in extreme situations where there are no suitable candidates to fill the post.

(h) The Sports Secretary - elected at the annual general meeting will be the main representative of the Union at all sports tournament committees organised in the United Kingdom. A second representative can be appointed at the Annual General Meeting or at the first Executive Committee meeting of the Union.

(i) PRO/Editorial Secretary - elected at the annual General Meeting shall maintain and update the Union website and produce newsletters on the activities of the Union.

(j) Social Secretary - elected at the Annual General Meeting shall be responsible for the organisation and arranging the Annual Double Blue Ball and other fund raising events for the Union.

(k) Membership Secretary - elected at the Annual General Meeting shall maintain the membership list, and will be responsible to enrol new members and collect the annual membership fees.

5. MEETINGS

(a) The Union shall hold at least two General Meetings in each year. One of which shall be the Annual General Meeting. Which shall be compulsory, and the second one meeting will be optional.

(b) The Annual General Meeting shall be held within sixty days of the close of the accounting period in clause 9.

(d) The first Meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held 45 days after the Annual General Meeting.

(e) If the Executive Committee Meeting is not held within this period, five members of the Executive Committee can summon a meeting of the Executive Committee.

(f) The quorum for a General Meeting including a Special General Meeting and the Annual General Meeting shall be fifteen. The quorum for an Executive Committee shall be seven Committee members provided always, any two of the following officers are present. The President, Secretary, Treasurer.

(g) The Executive Committee shall call a General Meeting within twenty one days on the written application of more than ten members.

6. DUTIES OF OFFICE BEARERS

The President - shall preside at all Committee and General Meetings.

The Honorary Secretary - shall at the Annual General Meeting submit a report covering the activities of the Union during the preceding calendar year. Shall attend meetings of the union, record minutes of the proceedings, notify members of forthcoming meetings, deal with correspondence and any other duties as appropriate.

The Treasurer - shall keep proper books and accounts. A statement of accounts for the previous year, audited by the honey auditor elected for the purpose at the pervious Annual General Meeting, shall be presented for adoption at the annual general meeting.

7. FINANCES

The Union shall open and operate such banking accounts in the name of the Union, as it thinks proper, and shall give the necessary authority for its officials such account, provided always that cheque be signed by a least two of the following officers. President, Secretary, Treasurer or a senior Committee member.

8. APPLICATION OF INCOME

(a) The income of the Union, whence so ever derives shall be applied principally towards the furtherance of the objects, but the Executive Committee shall have the discretionary power to consider any other charitable appeals, so long as the beneficiary of the charitable giving is a Wesleyite or an old Wesleyite.

(b) No member of the Union shall receive remuneration or other benefits in money or in kind, except the reimbursement of reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the Union and supported by bills and invoice. Any claims in excess of the floor limit will be determined by the executive Committee from time to time.

9. ACCOUNTING

The accounting year of the Union shall be 1^st December to 30 November.

10. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

(a) Rules of the Union shall not be amended except by two – third majority vote of those present and voting at the Annual general Meeting or at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose.

(b) No alterations or amendments shall be made to the Objectives Clause or the Dissolution Clause which would cause the Union to cease to be a charity at law.

11. DISSOLUTION

In the event of the Union being wounded up, any assets remaining after satisfying any outstanding debts and liabilities should not be distributed amongst the members of the Union, but shall be gifted to Wesley College Colombo Sri Lanka for the benefit of the pupils of the college in any manner which is exclusively Charitable Law.

Constitution of the Union approved at the inaugural meeting of the Union on 7^th November 1992.

First amendments to the Constitution made on 29^th November 1997 at the 5^th Annual General Meeting.

Second amendments to the Constitution made on 11^th February 2001 at a Special General Meeting.

Third Amendments to the Constitution made on 30^th January 2005 at the 12^th Annual General Meeting.

Date: 5^th February 2005

The Constitution of the Wesley OBU (UK) has been drafted with great care for the benefit of the members of the Union. It is not a static document but one that is ever evolving with the changes around us.

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