RULES OF THE SIAMESE CAT ASSOCIATION
As at 26 March 2017

1. Name and Objects
   The name shall be The Siamese Cat Association, a non profit-making organisation whose objects shall be :-
   1. To provide a focal point for all those interested in the breeding, keeping and exhibiting of Siamese cats.
   2. To hold and support Shows and to guarantee classes.
   3. To publish the Schedule of Points as approved by the Governing Council, and appoint judges.
   4. To give advice and assistance on all matters relating to Siamese Cats.
   5. To establish branches in various parts of the country.
   6. To make and apply rules, defining and safeguarding the rights and privileges of members.
   7. To promote the welfare of all cats.
   8. To combine or associate with other bodies having similar interests.
   9. To borrow or apply monies to be used for the benefit of cats and the furtherance of their welfare.
2. Foundation Rules
   1. Not more than one signatory to the Association's bank accounts may be from the same household.
   2. No person who has been suspended by the Governing Council may serve as an Officer or as a Member of the Association Committee for five years after the end of such a period of suspension.
   3. Election of Association Delegates to the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and Committee shall be by postal ballot of all paid up members, duly scrutinised by a professional person not connected with the Association, and checked by him against a current list of members provided by the Hon. Secretary. Association Delegates must be Officers or elected Committee Members of the Association.
   4. Foundation Rules may not be cancelled, amended, added to or modified other than at the Annual General Meeting and by a majority of three-quarters of those present and voting. Other rules subject to 8(j), may be added to, cancelled, amended or modified by simple majority at (1) the Annual General Meeting, or (2) a properly constituted Special Meeting attended by not less than 25 voting members.
   5. Where through ambiguity or difference of interpretation any Association Rule appears to contradict a Foundation Rule, either in whole or in part, the Foundation Rule shall in all cases override the other.
   6. Any motion proposing a cancellation, addition or amendment to any of the Foundation Rules shall appear in the A.G.M. Agenda preceded by the words "Proposed change in Foundation Rules."
   7. All voting on the Association Committee and at Association Meetings shall be by show of hands, but the Chairman at his discretion may order a paper ballot and must do so if so asked by one member at a Committee Meeting, or six members at an Association Meeting, Any addition to cancellation of or change to any Foundation Rule must be voted upon by paper ballot, unless it is unanimously agreed to the contrary.
3. Election of Members
   Members will be elected by the Committee by means of a simple majority vote.

   Each candidate must be proposed and seconded by members.

   The Committee shall have the right to warn or to suspend from Association Membership, either temporarily or permanently, any member convicted in a court of law of ill-treating or neglecting an animal, as well as any person whom it may hold to be guilty of gross misconduct connected with the keeping, exhibiting or judging of cats. Any person so accused shall have the right to appear before the Committee, to be represented, to call witnesses and, in the event of a suspension, to appeal to the Governing Council.

4. Subscription and Classes of Membership
   Membership shall fall into one of the following classes, viz., Hon. Members, Life Members, Members and Junior Members,
   1. Hon. Members shall be such persons as may be invited by the Committee because of services to the Association or to the welfare of cats, either past or potential. Hon Members shall have the right to speak at meetings, but not to vote.
   2. Members and such persons properly elected to membership as provided for under Rule 3. A list of Foundation Members shall be published.
   3. Junior Members - persons less than 16 years of age shall be entitled to attend meetings but shall neither speak nor vote. The Entrance Fee and the Annual subscriptions and Life Membership fees shall be determined from time to time by the members in General Meeting. Members of not less than three years' standing may compound for all future subscriptions upon payment of such an amount as shall have been determined to be the Life Membership fee in accordance with the provisions of this Rule at the time of the appropriate application so to compound future subscriptions. Life Membership shall be non-transferable and the fee paid shall not be repayable in the event of termination of membership for any reason whatsoever.
5. Rights of Individual Members
   Life Members or Ordinary Members of the Association shall have the right to attend Association functions, to show in Association classes, to speak freely and without interruption at meetings of members of the Association (so long as his choice of words be not slanderous, offensive or improper), to propose or second other persons as candidates for membership, to propose or second motions and vote at General Meetings, to stand for election to the Association Committee (subject to being proposed and seconded by members), to request the help of the Hon. Secretary in the sale or purchase of kittens, and to obtain from the Hon. Secretary addresses of suitably inspected and maintained holiday accommodation for cats and kittens.

   Junior and Hon. Members may exhibit in Association classes.

   Nominations proposing and seconding eligible persons for membership of the Committee or as delegates to the Governing Council respectively together with the written consent of the persons so nominated must reach the Hon. Secretary not later than 31st December, in each year.

6. Officers
   1. The Association shall have a President and not more than two Vice-Presidents who may be Honorary members and who may attend, but not vote at meetings of the Committee (unless they or any of them be elected members of the Committee).
   2. The Officers of the Association shall be a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, an Honorary Secretary, Assistant Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer. All officers of the Association shall be ordinary or Life Members thereof and shall be elected annually by the Committee from the Committee. All Officers of the Association shall be ipso facto committee members during their term of office
   
   THE CHAIRMAN - Shall preside at all Committee and Association Meetings and it shall be his duty to ensure that such meetings are conducted in a proper and orderly manner in accordance with the Association Rules and the rules of debate. It shall be the duty of the Chairman to enable every member entitled to do so to speak at least once to any motion under discussion, freely and without interruption from other members. To enable him to ensure the above conditions the Chairman shall have the power to suspend for the duration of the meeting and to request the withdrawal of any person who is in his opinion guilty of grossly improper behaviour, always providing that he issues to such a person a prior warning.
   The Chairman shall preserve an impartial attitude in all matters of debate and shall put all motions to the vote, and shall declare the results which shall thereafter constitute the official results of such voting.

   THE VICE-CHAIRMAN - Shall assume all the duties and powers of the Chairman in the latter's absence or upon the latter's request.

   THE HON. SECRETARY - Shall keep minutes of all Association and Committee Meetings and the minutes of the last meeting shall be read by him at the commencement of each subsequent meeting, and upon the approval of those present shall be passed to the Chairman for signature: The Hon. Secretary shall as far as he is able help members in all matters relating to Siamese Cats and the Association..

   ASST. SECRETARY - The Assistant Hon Secretary shall keep records of all Association Cups and Trophies and shall be responsible for all Association show support and advertisements.

   THE HON. TREASURER - Shall perform all duties normal to his office, and in particular shall collect subscriptions and other monies for banking and shall cause a Statement of Accounts which has been examined and signed by a suitable independent person to be produced at the Association A.G.M. All cheques drawn on the Association's account for £100 or over shall be countersigned by the Chairman or Hon. Secretary. The end of the financial year shall be 31st December.

   All Officers shall have the right to vote in Committee and Association Meetings, with the exception of the person occupying the Chair. In the event of a draw the Chairman shall be obliged to cast a vote.

7. The Committee
   In addition to the officers, the Committee shall consist of ten persons elected by the members. Committee members shall serve for a period of three years and may if eligible stand for re-election. Any vacancy on the Committee, however caused, may be filled by co-option by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Committee. Any fully paid up ordinary or Life member of the Association shall, subject to the provisions of Foundation Rule 2, be eligible to serve on the Committee. No officer shall serve in a particular capacity for more than three consecutive years unless at the expiration of his third term of office no other eligible member of the Committee shall have been proposed for that office. In such a case the retiring officer may remain in office for a further year and thereafter subject to the same condition from year to year. All members of the Committee including officers but excluding co-opted members shall serve for a period of three years as members of the Committee. Co-opted members of the Committee shall serve until the end of the year during which they were co-opted and may offer themselves, if eligible, for election for a term of three years from the expiration of the said year.

   A quorum for any meeting of the Committee shall be five members provided always that in the event that in the course of a meeting of the Committee at which a quorum was originally present the number of members present shall for any reason fall to less than the required quorum the remaining Committee members may continue to transact any ordinary business of the Committee notwithstanding that there may then be no quorum. Any business transacted as aforesaid shall be subject to express confirmation by the Committee at its next following meeting.

   The Committee shall elect new Association members and Life Members, appoint a Show Manager and a Show Committee, appoint Representatives to the Siamese Joint Advisory Committee and any other body approved by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and generally conduct the affairs of the Association in accordance with these Rules and authorise expenditure of Association Funds. The Committee shall have the right to maintain a list of judges and to inscribe thereon the names of all or any of the existing judges and of such other persons who having bred and exhibited Siamese cats for not less than seven years and having stewarded on not less than twelve occasions for six different judges of Siamese cats may then be eligible for consideration as probationer judges. The Committee shall elect or co-opt Area Secretaries annually, Area Secretaries shall not by reason of that appointment only be members of the Committee but shall be invited to attend Committee meetings and shall have the right to place items on the agenda of any Committee meeting and to speak but not vote thereat. Area Sub-Committees may be formed by Area Secretaries from members of the Association residing in the relevant Area. The said Sub-committees shall operate under the Rules of the Association but shall subject thereto have the right of self-determination. Any recommendation of an Area sub-committee representing the wishes of members of the Association particularly affected by local conditions shall receive the most favourable consideration of the Committee.

   Any member of the Committee who fails except in cases of notified illness to attend at least one half of the Committee meetings held in any year shall cease to be a member of the Committee upon a resolution to this effect being passed by the Committee.

   For the purposes of these Rules unless the context otherwise requires the expression "year" shall mean that period of time which elapses between the end of the Annual General Meeting of one year and the end of the Annual General Meeting held in the next following year, notwithstanding that the said period may be more or less than a calendar year and the term "three years" hereinbefore used shall be construed accordingly. Notwithstanding anything herein provided an annual subscription shall be payable in respect of each financial year.

8. Association Meetings
   1. An A.G.M. of the Association shall be held each year on a day to be decided by the Committee. A quorum shall consist of no less than the number of Committee members plus one voting member.
   2. All members shall receive not less than 14 days' notice from the Secretary.
   3. Items for the Agenda must reach the Hon. Secretary not less than four weeks before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting but in any case not later than 31st January, in any year.
   4. All motions must be proposed and seconded by members.
   5. Motions other than those involving Foundation Rules will be decided by simple majority, while those involving Foundation Rules can only be decided by a majority of not less than three quarters of those present and voting.
   6. Items may be put to the meeting under "Any Other Business" subject to the approval of the Chairman, providing they do not seek to add to, delete from, or alter existing Foundation Rules.
   7. The Hon. Secretary shall call a Special Meeting within 30 days if requested by not less than 25 members. The Agenda for a Special Meeting shall state clearly and unambiguously the purpose for which the meeting is called, and give the name of the organiser. Should the proposed Agenda fail to be adequately explicit, the Hon. Secretary shall inform the organiser at once and suggest an acceptable wording. No motion affecting Foundation Rules may be raised at a Special Meeting.
   8. A formal motion calling for the resignation of any Officer or Committee Member may be brought up only at the Association A.G.M. Should the A.G.M. support the motion by simple majority it shall be the duty of the Hon. Secretary to hold a postal ballot of all members, and if two-thirds or more of all members voting support the motion, the person whose resignation is sought shall resign his office forthwith.
   9. Amendments are only acceptable by right if they reach the Hon. Secretary not later than on the morning of the day preceding a General Meeting. The Chairman may allow an amendment proposed at the meeting should he feel it to be in the interest of members for the amendment to be debated, provided no variation, deletion or addition to any Foundation Rule or Rules is involved, in which case a separate motion must be put on the agenda after statutory notice.
   10. Any motion may be withdrawn upon the joint application of the proposer and seconder.
9. Definition of Terms
   Unless expressly stated to the contrary in these Rules, the word "Committee" shall be taken to mean the Committee of the Siamese Cat Association, and the words "he" or "his" shall also mean "she" or "her".
10. Affiliation to G.C.C.F.
    In accordance with the revised Constitution of the G.C.C.F., 1968, an affiliated Club -
    1. Must have not less than 50 subscribing members.
    2. Its rules must provide that the Council shall have disciplinary powers in regard to its members in accordance with this Constitution.
    3. No delegate to the Government Council of the Cat Fancy may serve on the Committee or act in any official capacity for an unaffiliated Club except with the permission of the Council.
    4. A Club failing or ceasing to fulfil these conditions or any of them shall cease to be affiliated.

    SIAMESE CAT ASSOCIATION
    List of Foundation Members
    Mr. J. Barker
    Mrs J. Barker
    Mrs Burleigh
    Mr L. Carter
    Mrs W. Carter
    Mrs Charles
    Miss A. Codrington
    Mrs L. Demus
    Miss E. Dukes
    Miss G. Eley
    Mrs A. Ferguson
    Mrs Hood
    Mrs P. Lauder
    Mrs E. Lentaigne
    Mrs E. Martin
    Mrs H. Martin
    Mrs Moss
    Mrs F. G. North
    Mrs H. Porter
    Mrs L. J. A. Price
    Mrs C. Raleigh
    Mr I. Raleigh
    Mrs M. Shrouder-May
    Mrs M. Thake
    Mrs E. Towe