Impala 28 Class Association Constitution

[Last revised 2009-05-11, and hopefully available soon in .doc and .pdf formats]

  1. Title

    The title of the Association shall be The Impala 28 Class Association.

  2. Objects

    The object of the Association is to promote and further develop the interests of the Impala class. In particular:

    1. To maintain the one-design character of the Impala.
    2. To co-ordinate and manage the affairs and rules of the class.
    3. To make recommendations on the control of such matters to clubs, the RYA and other bodies.
    4. To encourage and co-ordinate competition in the class.

  3. Membership

    1. Full membership shall be open to any owner of an Impala. An Impala is only eligible to race under the One Design rules provided the owner, or at least one of the joint owners, is a fully paid-up member of the Association.
    2. Associate membership shall be open to all individuals, clubs or organisations interested in the Impala Class.
    3. Life Membership may be awarded to individuals, following a vote at an AGM, for exceptional service to the Association.
    4. Every Member on joining the Association undertakes to comply with these rules.

  4. Subscriptions

    1. The amount of the subscriptions shall be recommended to the AGM by the Committee.
    2. Subscriptions are due on 1 January or 30 days after the date of the AGM, whichever is the later. No person shall enjoy the rights of membership of the Association until the subscription has been paid.

  5. Management

    1. The Officers of the Association shall consist of the Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, Rules Secretary and Membership Secretary, with dual roles permitted but no dual-role Officer to have more than one vote.
    2. The affairs of the Association shall be managed by a Committee according to the Constitution.
    3. The Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Association, to number no less than three and no more than five, allowing for dual roles as specified by 5.i above.
    4. The Committee may take appropriate advice from a Technical Adviser and/or Boatbuilder’s Representative.
    5. The Officers shall be elected at the Association’s AGM (which may be physical or electronic), to hold office until the next AGM.
    6. If a vacancy occurs on the Committee, the Committee may co-opt a Member to fill the vacancy until the next AGM.
    7. All communications with Members, excepting documents requiring signature, will be paperless unless individual Members choose otherwise.
    8. All Members must provide a valid email address unless opting into paper communications.
    9. The Committee cannot be held responsible for any communications held to be undeliverable.

  6. General Meetings

    1. The AGM of the Association will normally be held not earlier than October and not later than the following January. In any event it shall be held not later than 15 months after the date of the previous AGM.
    2. The AGM may take either the form of a physical meeting or be conducted through electronic media. This format to be decided on an annual basis by the Committee.
    3. At least three weeks’ notice of any General Meeting shall be given in writing (via paper or electronic media) to all Members.
    4. Decisions at a General Meeting (except for amendments to the Class Constitution) shall be by a simple majority of participating Full Members. Joint owners are permitted only one vote per boat.
    5. The Class Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority at a General Meeting.
    6. The Impala OOD Class Rules may be amended by a simple majority at a General Meeting.

  7. Accounts

    The Committee shall ensure that a proper record is maintained of all receipts and payments of the Association, that the Accounts are verified by an independent third party and that a proper financial statement is presented to the Members at the Annual General Meeting.

  8. Winding Up

    Should the Association find itself in a position where it is no longer viable or its Objects have been overtaken by those of another organisation, the Association may be wound up by a simple majority vote of all current Full Members. In such circumstances, the assets of the Association will be ingathered and by agreement either distributed evenly amongst those Full Members remaining at the date of dissolution or donated to appropriate charitable organisations.