a.	The letters WMSC and the word Club shall mean the Wahoo Masters Swimming Club.

b.	Masters Swimming shall mean swimming for persons 19 years of age and older.

c.	Words importing the masculine gender shall include the feminine and words of plural shall include the singular and vice versa.

a.	The Club shall be called the WAHOO MASTERS SWIMMING CLUB (hereinafter referred to as the Club).

b.	The colours of the Club shall be black and white with a purple trim and the badge shall be a gold four pointed crown placed above the head of a fish bone where the word ‘WAHOO’ forms the backbone of the fish bone, and with such words as the Committee of the Club may approve from to time.

a.	To promote and encourage Masters Swimming without discrimination on grounds of race, religion or political affiliation.

b.	To promote the formation and affiliation of Masters Swimmers.

c.	To promote and control Masters Swimming in general and in particular Championships and Competitions.

d.	To act as a Board of Appeal and Tribunal in all matters concerning Masters Swimming and in particular matters referred to it by individual members, and which concern:

I.	The meaning or interpretation of this Constitution;

II.	Any  matter of practice or procedure;

III.	any Rules, By-laws, Regulations and conditions;

IV.	any matters of practice, policy, misconduct of complaint which it may hold to be  within the jurisdiction of the Club.

e.	To act as a Board of Control for individual members under its jurisdiction and to make such Rules, By-laws and Regulations as may be considered necessary.

f.	To represent the Masters Swimmers of the Club in any matters related to them.

g.	To stimulate public opinion by all possible means so as to promote Masters Swimming and the support thereof by sponsors, government and other authorities or bodies and the public.

h.	To suspend or terminate the membership or affiliation of, fine or otherwise discipline, any individual member.

i.	The Club may refund all necessary expenses incurred by any members thereof whilst engaged in the running of the Club.

a.	The Club shall consist of individual members.

b.	Individual members applying for membership shall complete such application form and furnish such information as the Club may from time to time require.

c.	The Club may in its sole discretion refuse any application for membership.

a.	Every individual member shall pay an annual subscription to the Club.

b.	The annual subscriptions shall be decided by the Committee from time to time.

c.	Subscriptions shall be payable in advance on or before the 31st October in each year. In the case of new members, subscriptions shall be paid upon affiliation of the granting of membership.

d.	In the event of any subscription being unpaid for a period of three months, all rights and privileges may be suspended until the subscription is paid. The Club shall also have the right to terminate any membership.

a.	The Management of the Club (including the exercise of all the objects referred to above) shall be vested in a Committee consisting of the following officials:

Ÿ

President

Ÿ	Vice-President

Ÿ

Secretary

Ÿ

Treasurer

Ÿ	Three Committee Members (optional)

b.	The officials shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.

c.	The officials shall hold office and act until the completion of the Annual General Meeting following at which they were elected. The Committee shall, however, have the power to fill any vacancy in the Committee Membership.

d.

The Committee shall meet regularly to transact the business of the club, but the Committee shall have the power to permit the Executive (as defined in Rule 13) of the Club to conduct the business of the Club during the “off season”. However, the full Committee must meet in the month prior to the Club’s Annual General Meeting. Ten (10) Days in writing of such meeting shall be given to Committee members unless all members shall waive such notice. At all Committee Meetings three members shall form a quorum and the Chairman shall have a casting vote as well as a deliberative one.

e.	The Executive of the Club shall consist of the President, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. At meetings of the Executive, three members shall form a quorum and the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting as well as a deliberative vote.

f.

In all cases of emergency, the Executive shall have the power to act, reporting the business to the first meeting of the Committee held thereafter, provided that the Executive shall not be empowered to settle matters that are in the nature of an appeal to the club in terms of rule 3(d) hereof or take any disciplinary action except suspension pending investigation.

g.	The Committee shall have the power to deal with all cases of misconduct and is empowered to expel, suspend or fine any individual member of the Club.

h.	Meetings of the Committee may be convened at any time by the President, or shall be convened on a requisition signed by four members of the Committee. Such requisition shall state the motions which the meeting is required to discuss and these will then become the sole agenda for the meeting.

i.	The Committee shall at all times be empowered to appoint subcommittees to carry out any specific duties.

j.	Committee members may not vote on any matter or appeal in which they have an interest either directly or as an official of the club concerned.

a.	The Club’s financial year shall extend from the 1st day of May to the 30th day of April of the following year.

b.	The Annual General Meeting shall be held on a date to be determined by Committee, but no later than the 31st day of May.

c.	Fourteen (14) days written notice of any Annual or Special General Meeting shall be given to individual members.

d.

At the Annual General Meeting the Committee Report and Financial Statement for the previous year, duly audited by the Auditors, shall be submitted and officers, as set out in Rule 8, be elected for the ensuing year, and notices of motion shall be considered. All notices of motion must be delivered in writing to the Secretary of the Club at least 28 days before the Annual General Meeting.

e.	The quorum at a General or Special General Meeting shall be ten (10) members and/or delegates present, or by proxy, and entitled to vote.

f.

A Special General Meeting may be summoned at any time by the Committee, or shall be summoned by the Secretary on receipt of a requisition signed by ten or more individual members. In the latter case, the meeting must be held within twenty eight (28) days of receipt of the requisition and fourteen (14)  days notice in writing of the meeting shall be given. The requisition must state the object of such meeting, which shall become the addendum of the meeting.

g.	The Annual General Meeting may elect honorary patrons of the Club and confer honorary life membership on persons who have rendered long and valuable services to the Club.

a.	Appeals shall be directed to the Committee of the Club.

b.	Any individual may appeal.

c.	The appeal shall be lodged with the Secretary of the Club within fourteen (14) days of the granting of determination of any ruling by the club.

d.	The Committee shall not be required to give reasons for its decision.

a.	No alteration, deletion or addition to the Constitution shall be made, except at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, sanctioned by at least two-thirds of the vote represented at the meeting.

b.	The proposed amendment shall be the only item on the Agenda of the meeting. The meeting shall be called within twenty eight (28) days of receipt of the notice and individual members shall be notified in writing at least fourteen (14) days before the date set down for the meeting.

c.	Rules, By-laws and Regulations promulgated by the Club may be rescinded, altered or amended by the Committee.

d.	Where there is a conflict between the Club and GMSA’s Constitution, Rules, By-laws and Regulations, then GMSA’s Constitution, Rules, By-laws and Regulations will prevail.

a.	The Club is an Association and may sue and/or be sued in its own name.

b.	Any power of attorney or other document required to be signed in connection with any legal proceedings shall be signed by any two (2) members of the Committee duly authorised thereto by the Committee.

c.	The liability of members of the Club is limited to the payment of any amount owing by them respectively to the Club.

d.	Membership of the Club does not give any member any right or interest in any of the monies, property or assets of the club.

e.

The Club and its Committee may not distribute, dispose of, give or transfer any of the Club’s assets nor funds to any individual member or members, but the Club may sponsor and financially support any other Masters Swimming Association, Masters Swimming Association affiliated club or any other body supporting and promoting swimming and Masters Swimming in particular.

f.	If the Club is wound up or dissolved, all its assets remaining after the satisfaction of its liabilities shall be given or transferred as provided for in (e) above.

g.	No decision to wind up or dissolve the Club shall be made except at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose and provided further that at least two-thirds of the votes represented at the meeting are in favour of any such resolution.