The Constitution
Amended July 2009
1. NAME :
The Society shall be called
The Australian Society of Rheology. It shall take over the activities, powers
and responsibilities, the property and membership of the "British Society
of Rheology – Australian Branch". The latter body shall cease to exist
with the formation of The Australian Society of Rheology. Hereafter, the words
‘The Society’ shall be deemed to mean The Australian Society of Rheology.
2. OBJECTS :
The objects of The Society
shall be the promotion of inquiry and the dissemination of knowledge connected
with the advancement of Rheology, defined as the science of the deformation and
flow of matter.
3. MEMBERSHIP :
(a) Any person interested in
Rheology in its broader sense shall be eligible for membership of The Society. {
There are no formal requirements for membership }.
(b) In order to become a
member, an applicant must apply either online or in writing in a manner to be
approved from time to time by The Council (see Section 5). A person whose
application is approved by a majority of the Council shall be enrolled as a
member on receipt of the subscription for the current year.
(c) The Council shall have
the power to elect to Honorary Life Membership any person who has attained
distinction through achievement in the field of Rheology or by reason of
service to The Society or its predecessors. { See the associated document
at the end }.
(d) Any member may resign
membership by giving notice in writing and shall be eligible to rejoin as under
Clause 3(b).
(e) If The Council considers
the conduct of a member to be prejudicial to the interests of The Society, it
shall give the member the opportunity to explain such conduct and thereupon
may, by a majority of two thirds, decide to terminate that person’s membership.
4. SUBSCRIPTION :
An annual subscription of
such amount as The Annual General Meeting may decide shall be paid by each
member. All subscriptions shall be due either from the date of The Annual
General Meeting or from a date set by that meeting.
5. COUNCIL and EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS :
(a) The affairs of The
Society shall be managed by a Council of a maximum of twelve members which
shall include the President, the President of the previous year, a
Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The Council shall include a
representative from each State in which at least ten members of The Society
reside.
(b) The Council of The
Society shall be elected every year at The Annual General Meeting from amongst
members of The Society to serve from that Annual General Meeting to the next.
Candidates shall be proposed and seconded by members of The Society before The
Annual General Meeting.
(c) Any member of The Council
shall be eligible for re-election except that (i) a member shall not be
eligible for the office of President for more than two consecutive years and
(ii) a member may not serve for more than four consecutive years without
portfolio. An exception to (ii) may be made for interstate Council members
(i.e. not resident in Victoria).
(d) The Council shall have
the power to appoint any member of The Society to fill a casual vacancy until
the next General Meeting.
(e) The Council shall have
the power to appoint from its ranks officers with specific duties, eg. an
assistant secretary or a Council sub-committee.
(f) The Council shall have
the power to appoint from the general membership of The Society members who
will join a Council sub-committee to undertake specific duties, such as
organizing conferences etc. Such members may, at the discretion of the
Chairman, participate in council meetings but shall have no voting rights.
(g) The Council shall have
the power to appoint from the general membership of the Society members who,
individually or as an auxiliary group, advise on specific matters or carry out
specific tasks under The Council’s direction. One representative of such an
auxiliary group shall participate in Council discussion of matters relevant to
such tasks. Others may also be invited at the Chairman’s discretion.
6. DUTIES of EXECUTIVE OFFICERS and COUNCIL :
(a) The Council shall manage
the funds and affairs of The Society and take such actions as may appear
necessary or desirable for carrying into effect the objects of The Society and
the resolutions of The General Meetings.
(b) The President shall take
the chair at all General Meetings of The Society and at all Council meetings
unless absent. The President shall be the spokesperson on behalf of The Society
unless this task is delegated to another Council Member. The President shall
sign the adopted minutes of meetings chaired by him/her self.
(c) The President of the
previous year shall advise Council on the reasons for past policy decisions and
brief the president and Council when continuity and earlier experience is
relevant.
(d) The Vice-President shall
deputise for The President, during the President’s absence. If both President
and Vice-President are absent from a meeting, the members present shall choose
a chairman for that meeting.
(e) The Secretary shall be
responsible for the general conduct of The Society’s correspondence and
business except financial and membership. The Secretary shall prepare the
agenda for each meeting of The Society and of The Council, give notice of
meetings, invite nominations for any election and act as Returning Officer
unless a Returning Officer is appointed. The Secretary shall record the minutes
of each meeting and prepare a report for The Annual General Meeting. The
Secretary may be assisted in any of these tasks by an Assistant Secretary.
(f) The Treasurer shall
receive all monies due to The Society, transact all its financial affairs and
keep a proper account of receipts, payments, credits and liabilities. The
Treasurer shall keep a record of members and their financial status. The
Treasurer may be assisted in any of these tasks by an assistant Treasurer. The
Treasurer shall present an interim financial statement to each Council meeting
and an audited Annual report and Balance Sheet to The Annual General Meeting.
The Treasurer shall be one of
the council members authorized to sign withdrawals from The Society’s accounts.
Withdrawals shall require more than one signature.
7. AUDITOR :
The accounts of The Society
shall be audited by an auditor who shall be elected and whose remuneration
shall be fixed by The Annual General Meeting.
8. MEETINGS :
(a) The Council shall meet at
least four times a year. Five members of The Council shall constitute a quorum.
Council Members unable to attend may authorise a proxy in writing to cast a
vote on their behalf. If voting at Council Meetings is tied, The President or
the presiding chairman shall have a casting second vote.
(b) An Annual General Meeting
of The Society shall be held at a date, time and venue to be fixed by The
Council, subject to any directive from a previous General Meeting. At least one
month’s notice shall be given of such a meeting. The meeting may be attended by
members and observers but only financial members shall have voting rights. Ten
members shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum is not reached , The Council
shall convene a deferred Annual General Meeting giving at least three weeks’
notice. Such a deferred Annual General Meeting shall proceed with a quorum of
five members unless objections to the time and venue are received in writing
from no fewer than five members.
The Annual General Meeting
shall confirm the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and receive
and adopt reports by The Secretary and The Treasurer. The Meeting shall elect
Council Members and an Auditor for the ensuing year. It shall discuss matters
listed on the agenda and other Society business raised at the meeting. The
President or the Chairman of the meeting shall have the power to declare any
item out of order or irrelevant unless overruled by The Meeting.
Decisions other than
Amendments to The Constitution, shall be made by a simple majority of members
voting. A member unable to attend may authorise in writing a proxy to vote on
his/her behalf.
(c) At the request of five
Council Members or ten members of The Society, The Secretary shall call a
Special General Meeting within two months of receiving such a request. A notice
convening a Special General Meeting shall be sent to all members not less than
three weeks before the meeting and it shall specify the matters to be dealt
with. Such a meeting shall have the authority of an Annual General Meeting but
shall consider only the business for which it was called. The requirements for
a quorum shall be the same as for an Annual General Meeting.
9. CHAPTERS :
Any group of members of The
Society may form a Chapter to represent their area. Internal organisation of
the Chapter is the concern of its members provided the rules and activities of
the Chapter are consistent with those of The Society. Operation of a Chapter
shall be confined to local activities. A Chapter may request representation on
The Council and The Council shall grant such a request if it considers the
chapter to be viable.
10. LIABILITY :
The Society shall not be
liable for any damage or loss to the persons or the property of members
howsoever caused, provided nevertheless that The Council may in its absolute
discretion make an ex-gratia payment out of The Society’s funds in respect of
any such damage or loss if it thinks that such payment is appropriate.
11. ALTERATION OF THE
CONSTITUTION :
This Constitution may be
amended by a resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting. Proposed
amendments must be sent to all members at least one month prior to the Meeting
upon which they are to be voted. An amendment shall be carried by a two-thirds
majority of the members voting (including proxies) provided that at least ten
members voting are in favour of the amendment.
12. INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATION :
The Council shall appoint a
member to liaise with The International Rheology Committee. It may also appoint
one or more delegates to international meetings.
13. DISSOLUTION :
A resolution for the
dissolution of The Society may be proposed at an Annual or Special General
Meeting provided at least one month’s notice has been given to members. A
motion to dissolve The Society shall be carried by a two-thirds majority of
those voting (including proxies) provided members in favour of the motion
number at least ten percent of The Society’s membership.
Unless the meeting at which
The Society is dissolved specifies otherwise, the property of The Society,
after discharge of all liabilities, shall be transferred to a scientific body
with an active interest in Rheology.
The { notations }
written in italic bold script parenthesis have been added subsequently to the
original wording of the text.
Issued 1983
Re-issued Nov. 2000.
Amended July 2009
ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS
THE A.S.R. MEDALLION
1. A Sub-Committee comprising The President, Vice-President and Immediate Past
President of The Society will meet at least annually to discuss possible
nominations for the award.
2. The Sub-Committee may
co-opt other members of The Society onto their number with the approval of The
Council.
3. A Recommendation will take
the form of a written testimonial, which will include a c.v., justifying the
individual concerned.
4. The recipient of an Award
must meet the following criteria :
(a) They must be permanently
resident in Australia, although discretion may be exercised over matters of
temporary secondment (or sabbatical leave) overseas.
(b) They must be a financial
member of The Australian Society of Rheology.
(c) They must be
internationally recognised as having made an outstanding and meritorious
contribution to the science and technology of Rheology. Whilst service to The
Society may be taken into account, it will not be the major factor that remains
that of scientific achievement.
5. The decision as to whether
or not an award will be made in any one year shall be taken by the
Sub-Committee and ratified by The Council.
6. The recipient will be
formally notified of the nomination and invited to accept the Award.
7. The presentation of an
Award will normally be made at the appropriate Annual General Meeting or A.S.R.
Conference of The Society.
8. The documentation of the
Award will be kept in The Society’s records.
9. Any change to the wording
of this memorandum must have the unanimous support of The Council.
Issued June 1992.
Amended July 2009
A.S.R. HONORARY LIFE
MEMBERSHIP
1. Any Member of Council may submit the proposed name of a candidate to a
Council Meeting.
2. Council may vote on the
candidature there and then or form a sub-committee to resolve any factual
details.
3. The criteria are primarily
based on service to the A.S.R; the interpretation of which rests with The
Council.
(a) The individual will have
provided significant service to The Society (usually over a considerable period
of time).
(b) The individual has been a
financial member of the A.S.R. for either the whole, or at least the major part
of the time being considered.
(c) Normally, the individual
will have retired from professional life.
4. A unanimous vote of The
Council is required.
5. The individual will be
notified and invited to accept the Award (a framed and duly signed certificate
or a plaque) at a mutually agreed time and place.
6. The documentation of the
Award will be kept in The Society’s records.
7. Any change to the wording
of this memorandum must have the unanimous support of The Council.
Issued Aug. 1997
Re-issued Feb. 1999
Amended July 2009