1) This Association shall be known as the ‘Hash House Harriets’.
2) Its registered address shall be c/o:-
9 ROSEWOOD DRIVE, #14-18 ROSEWOOD, Singapore 737938
or at such other place in the Republic of Singapore as the Committee may decide from time to time, subject to the approval of the Register of Societies.
3) Its object is to provide a weekly cross-country run for its members.
Membership:
4) Membership is open to ladies resident in Singapore, over 18 years of age, who are interested in taking part in cross-country runs, but the Association shall consist of not more than 125 members at any one time.
5) A person wishing to join the Association shall be proposed by one member and seconded by another. All applications for membership shall be made in writing and signed by the candidate and the proposers, and the election shall be at the committee’s discretion. A copy of the constitution shall be given to every member on admission.
6) Men may apply to the Committee to become associate members, but associate members are not allowed to vote at General Meetings.
7) Each fully paid-up member is entitled to one vote when attending in person at General Meetings.
Entrance Fees, Subscriptions and Other Dues:
8) No entrance fee is payable by new members.
9) There will be a quarterly subscription payable in advance for Members and Associate Members. New Members joining during a quarter will pay proportionately for the period between the date of joining and the end of the quarter. The subscription fee would be decided by the members through voting at the Annual General Meeting.
9a) Guest fees will be charged to any guest of a Member or Associate Member. The guest fees will be decided by the members through voting at the Annual General Meeting.
10) The Honorary Treasurer will notify all members as and when subscriptions become due. If a member falls more than 3 months in arrears on her subscriptions, she shall be deemed to have resigned and will not be entitled to participate in any further activities of the Association. No legal action may be taken by the Association against a former member for non-payment of her subscription arrears.
Management, General Meetings:
11)The Association shall be managed by a Committee consisting of:
a) The President
b) Two Deputy Presidents – Joint Hash Mistresses
c) An Honorary Secretary
d) An Honorary Treasurer
The tenure of office of members of the Committee shall be from one Annual General Meeting to another, all of whom shall be eligible for re-election, provided that the Honorary Treasurer shall not be re-elected to the same office for a second consecutive term.
12) A General Meeting shall mean an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting and shall be presided over by the President. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called by the President only at the request in writing of 10 or more members or may be called at any time by order of the Committee.
At least 4 clear days’ notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be given to members, and its Agenda shall be circulated to each member together with such notice.
13) An Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held not later than the end of June in each year upon a date and time to be fixed by the Committee for the following purposes:
i) To receive and, if approved, pass the accounts for the previous year and to receive the Committee’s Report on the general affairs of the Association.
ii) To elect two Honorary Auditors.
iii) To transact any other business of which notice in writing shall have been given to the Honorary Secretary not less than seven clear days before the Meeting.
Notice in writing stating the time, place and agenda of an Annual General Meeting shall be circulated to each member not less than fourteen clear days before such Meeting is to be held.
14) The quorum at a General Meeting shall be one-fourth of the total membership. If a quorum is not present, the Meeting shall be adjourned to the same day in the following week at a place and time to be appointed, and should the number then present be insufficient to constitute a quorum, then those present shall be considered a quorum but shall have no power to alter or make additions to any of the existing rules.
15) The Committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. The Honorary Secretary shall, not less than thirty clear days before the date of each Annual General Meeting, circulate to each member a notice inviting nominations for election to the Committee. Each nomination shall be lodged with the Honorary Secretary in writing and signed by at least two members, not less than seven days after the date of such notice.
16) Election of the Committee shall be by a simple majority of votes. In the case of two or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes, the Chairman at the Annual General Meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
17) The Committee shall have the power to elect a new President, the two Deputy Presidents, the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer in the event of the holder of any of these offices being unable or unwilling to serve and to co-opt new Committee members to replace resignations. The Committee may appoint a sub-committee and depute to it any of its powers, except those relating to the election and expulsion of members of the Committee. Membership of any such sub-committee shall consist, as to the same number of its members, of elected members of the Committee.
18) The Committee shall meet at such time or place as the Committee considers suitable. At least seven clear days’ notice of such a meeting shall be given to Committee members. At least one Joint Hash Mistress and the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer must be present at a Committee Meeting to form a quorum.
19) The duty of the Committee is to organise and supervise the daily activities of the Association and to make decisions on matters affecting its running when the General Meeting is not sitting. It may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting without prior reference to it and shall always remain subordinate to the General Meeting.
20) The Committee has the power to authorise the expenditure of a sum not exceeding $3,000.00 per month from the Association’s funds, for the benefit of the Association.
21) The Committee shall have the power to invest the Association’s surplus monies in stocks, funds, shares or other investments for the benefit of the Association.
22) The Committee shall have the power to inquire into any breach of these Rules and may direct the offending person to be cautioned, expelled or removed from the Association or dealt with in any manner thought fit by the Committee.
Office Bearers:
23) The duties of the office-bearers are as follows:
a) The President shall act as Chairman at all General and committee meetings. She shall also represent the Association in its dealings with outside persons.
b) Either of the two Vice-Presidents shall deputise for the President in the latter’s absence. It shall be the duty of the President and Vice-Presidents as Joint Hash Mistresses to count the number of runners at the start of each meet and to ensure that all have returned to the starting point before the remainder have gone home. On the conclusion of a meet, they will appoint two harriets to act as “hares” for the ensuing meet.
c) The Honorary Secretary and Treasurer shall keep all books and records of the Association and shall be responsible for their correctness. The Honorary Treasurer shall collect all monies due to the Association and shall disburse all monies payable by it. She will not keep more than $200.00 in the form of cash, and any money collected by her on behalf of the Association in excess of this amount shall be paid into the Association’s bank account. Cheques for bank withdrawals will be signed by any two of the following: the President, the Honorary Treasurer, or the Honorary Secretary. Full details of all receipts and payments will be recorded by her in the cash book, the entries being supported where possible by documents and vouchers.
It shall be the duty of the Honorary Secretary to notify members in advance of the date and starting place of each run.
24) Accounts and Audit:
The Financial year shall end on 31st December of each year, to which date the accounts shall be balanced and audited by Honorary Auditors to be appointed as hereunder:
Two persons, not members of the Committee, will be elected as Honorary Auditors at each Annual General Meeting, and will hold office for one year only and may not be re-elected as Honorary Auditors for a second consecutive term. They will be required to audit each year’s accounts and present a report on them to the Annual General Meeting. They may be required by the President to audit the Association’s accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Committee.
25) Prohibitions:
a) Gambling of any kind, such as the playing of paikow or mahjong, whether for stakes or not, is forbidden at runs. The introduction of materials for gambling, opium smoking, and bad characters on runs is prohibited.
b) The funds of the Association shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in Court.
c) The Association shall not attempt to restrict or in any other manner interfere with trade or prices or engage in any Trade Union activity as defined in the Trade Union Ordinance, 1940.
d) The Association shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Association or its office-bearers, Committee or members.
e) The Association shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or meetings to be used for political purposes.
Amendment To Rules:
26) No alterations or additions to these rules shall be made except at a General Meeting, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Register of Societies.
Interpretation:
27) In the event of any question or matter arising out of any point which is not expressly provided for in the rules, the Committee shall have the power to use its own discretion.
Dissolution:
28) a) The Association shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than three-fifths of the members of the Association expressed either in person or by proxy at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.
b) In the event of the Association being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Association shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be distributed to recognised charitable organisations as may be decided by a majority of the members at the General Meeting convened for the purpose of dissolution.
c) Notice of dissolution will be given within 14 days of the dissolution to the Register of Societies.