11. The Annual General Meeting:
11.1 The Annual General Meeting shall be held each year in March, or as soon as practicable
thereafter, when the Annual Report shall be presented, together with the Statement of
Accounts, duly signed by the Auditor.
11.5 There shall be a quorum when at least one twentieth of the members of the Club or
twenty members of the Club, whichever is the greater (excluding Officers of the Council),
are present at the meeting.
11.6 All the Officers, Assistant Officers, Group Leader members, Editorial Team members
and the whole Editorial Team shall retire at the Annual General Meeting each year; but shall
be eligible for re-election for the ensuing year. The President may stand for re-election
twice, until 3 years together have been completed, or, in exceptional circumstances 4 years,
and shall then be a Past President for at least one year before, if wished, standing for another
term as President. Each year two of the six ordinary members (or one third, if a number
below six) of Council shall each cease to be an ordinary member for a period of at least one
year, unless, in exceptional circumstances, otherwise determined by Council. Those retiring
shall normally be the two longest-serving ordinary members.
11.7 The names of those members nominated by the Council as Officers, Assistant Officers
and other vacancies on the Council for the ensuing year shall be printed on the notice calling
the Annual General Meeting (usually sent out in January). In addition, any member may
nominate any other member for any office or vacancy on the Council. All such nominations,
duly seconded, must be sent in writing to the General Secretary, to arrive not less than
fourteen days before the Annual General Meeting. The full list of nominations shall be read
at the Annual General Meeting, when the Officers, the Assistant Officers, Group Leader
members, Editorial Team members, the whole Editorial Team and ordinary members of
Council shall be elected (by ballot if necessary).
12. A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the Council or by at least 12
fully paid up members or five per cent of the fully paid up membership, whichever is the
greater, submitting a written request specifying the proposed motion to the President. Notice
of a Special General Meeting and of the business to be transacted thereat, shall be sent to all
members at least fourteen days in advance of the meeting.
12.3 There shall be a quorum when at least one twentieth of the members of the Club or
twenty members of the Club, whichever is the greater (excluding Officers of the Council),
are present at the meeting.
13. In the absence of the President and Vice-President, the members present at any meeting
of the Club may elect a Chairperson for that meeting.
14. The Library and Collections owned by the Club (considered to be in the name of the
four holding trustees, as in 10.5) relates to the work done by Essex naturalists and geologists
in the past, and is available by arrangement for personal study and research. Many of the
items are valuable, so access is to be authorised and/or supervised by one of the appropriate
people appointed by the Club. Application should be made in the first instance to the
President or Vice-President.
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Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 46, January 2005