CONSTITUTION of the QARNNS ASSOCIATION

 

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The name of the Association shall be ‘The QARNNS Association’.

 

OBJECT

 

The object of the Association shall be to further the efficiency of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service for the public benefit, by fostering esprit de corps amongst its members and by providing advice and support (non-financial) for past and present members and their dependents who are in conditions of need, hardship and distress.

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RULES

 

1.  MEMBERSHIP

Past and present members of QARNNS, QARNNS(R) and VAD(RN) shall be eligible for membership of the Association.

 

Any member (life or annual) whose contact details become unknown to the Association shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Association and their name shall be removed from the Membership list. ***see below

 

   2.  SUBSCRIPTIONS
 

Members will pay an annual subscription, the amount to be proposed by the Treasurer and agreed by the members at an Annual General Meeting.

All annual subscriptions shall be treated as income of the Association, for its general charitable purposes unless the Annual General Meeting otherwise direct.

 

Non-payment of subscriptions: a member who is in arrears with his/her subscription for 2 consecutive years shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Association and their name shall be erased from the membership list. *** see below

 

​*** Re 1 & 2 above. A member who has ceased to belong to the Association either through resignation, non-payment or loss of contact details may rejoin on payment of the current annual subscription.

 

  3.  ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

An Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held, with the date promulgated to all members and advertised on the QARNNS Association website.

 

  4.  NEWSLETTER

Newsletters will be issued. Payment of the annual subscription will entitle a member to receive them for the current year.

 

 

  5.  ACCOUNTS

 

The Treasurer shall present the Association Accounts at the Annual General Meeting. Prior to this, two auditors, who shall be appointed by the committee shall audit the accounts.

The auditors may be members of the Association but not of the committee.

 

ADMINISTRATION

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1. THE PRESIDENT

A senior retired QARNNS Officer shall be invited to assume the office of President of the QARNNS Association and shall serve for a term of 3 years. She / he may serve up to two terms (maximum 6 years).

 

  2.  EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The Executive Officers of the Association shall be:

 

• The Chair (who shall be elected by the members of the Association). 

• The Secretary 

• The Treasurer

 

  3.  COMMITTEE

The Committee will consist of ten members (maximum) broken down as follows:

 

Core Committee (voting members):

 

• Chair (Serving or Retired Officer)

• Secretary

• Treasurer

• Assistant Treasurer

• Membership Secretary

• Social Secretary

 

Other Officer Roles:

 

• Head of QARNNS (Ex-Officio)

• Serving Member

• Newsletter Editor (non-voting)

• Website Editor (non-voting)

• Honorary Chaplain/Cathedral Liaison (non-voting)

 

All roles will be elected by the members of the Association to serve for a term of three years and may serve for maximum of two terms (six years) unless extenuating circumstances which must be agreed by the Core Committee.

 

Five members of the Committee (voting members) shall form a quorum.

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  4.  BRANCHES

 

​Branches of the QARNNS Association may be formed at home and abroad.

Branches will appoint their own officers and will be self-governing with an independent committee, working to the overarching QARNNS Association policies and principles. Each role will utilise the standardised terms of reference / job description for the Association.

 

All Branches will be provided with a sum of money per head in the Branch. Only one joining fee will be paid by any individual joining the QARNNS Association with the Association Treasurer ensuring finances are allocated to each Branch Treasurer to spend at the discretion of the Branch Committees.

 

Approval of the Association Committee will be required before a Branch is formed. 

All members of a Branch must be members of the Association.

 

If removed from the Association membership for whatever reason, then that person shall also be removed from Branch membership.​

 

  5.  AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION

 

Additions or Amendments to the Constitution must be approved by a two- thirds majority of members present at an Annual General Meeting, provided that no amendments shall be made to the Objects of the Association set out above or to this clause or to Clause 6 thereof and that no amendments shall be made to the Constitution which would cause the Association to cease to be a charity at law.

 

6. If at any time, the Association in General Meeting, after a resolution proposing the dissolution of the Association has been passed by a two-thirds majority of the members attending and voting at that meeting, determines that the Association should be dissolved, then any assets remaining after the payment of all proper debts and liabilities, shall not be distributed amongst members but shall be applied as the same general meeting shall direct, to charitable purposes similar to those set out in the Objects of this Constitution, and in default thereof to some charitable purpose.

 

 

Charity Registration No. 276376

Sept 2007 - revised June 2016

2nd revision June 2022

3rd revision Proposed July 2024