The FFA Constitution

Approved at the Special General Meeting held on the 19th June 1981.

NAME:

The name of the association shall be THE FLY FISHERS ASSOCIATION.

NATURE:

The Association shall be a voluntary association which is a body corporate, capable of holding property in its own name and incurring liabilities in its own name.  The Association shall have perpetual succession and be capable of suing and being sued in its own name.  The members of the Association shall not in any way be liable for the liabilities of the Association, nor shall any one of them be entitled to lay claim to any property of the Association.

CREATION:

It is recorded that the Association was created by agreement between the founding members on the 15th of March 1980.

OBJECTS:

The Association shall be an association not for gain and shall have as its aims and objects the following:

a)      To promote public interest in fly fishing and related subjects in both salt and fresh water, and to promote the conservation of the aquatic environment.

b)      To provide facilities for its members for the better pursuit of fly fishing and related subjects, including the provision of suitable water, subject, however, to the condition that the Association shall in no way whatsoever compete with the Natal Fly Fishers Club or the Underberg Himeville Trout Fishing Club or any other existing club which is primarily concerned with the provision of suitable trout fishing water, in so providing water for its members.  It shall be the aim of the association to complement the activities of the aforesaid clubs rather than to compete with them.

c)       The provision of facilities, either directly or through affiliation with other angling bodies, for the keeping of catch records and the recognition of such records by the International Game Fishing Association.

d)      The promotion of the sport of fly fishing and associated activities in the widest sense.

e)      Profits or gains made by the Association shall not be distributed to members, but shall be applied to further the objects of the Association only.

f)       To assist in the implementation of the Nature Conservation Ordinance 15/1974 as amended from time to time and the regulations published thereunder.

g)      The protection, regulation and improvement of fishing.

POWERS:

The Association shall have all the powers that a body corporate can normally exercise and in particular, but without derogating from the generality of the aforegoing, it shall have the power:

a)      to acquire and own property, whether movable or immovable;

b)      to alienate or encumber property;

c)       to raise funds in order to further the objects of the Association;

d)      to affiliate with other bodies with similar interests;

e)      to enter into leases or other agreements which may be necessary in the furtherance of the objects of the Association;

f)       to incur credit or to borrow money, whether against security of the assets of the Association or otherwise.

EXERCISE OF POWERS:

a)      The powers of the Association shall be exercised by the committee, acting in accordance with the rules applicable to that body.  The committee shall, however, not bind the credit of the Association to the extent that it may exceed the cash on hand at any particular stage except with the consent of the members in general meeting.

b)      The committee shall consist of eight members elected annually by the members in an annual general meeting.  The committee shall consist of a chairman, a vice chairman, a secretary, treasurer and four ordinary members.  The committee shall be entitled to co-opt any member of the association at any stage as an additional member.  Unless the members in general meeting specifically otherwise direct, the members of the committee shall, immediately upon their election, elect by majority vote the aforesaid chairman, vice chairman, secretary and treasurer.

c)       The committee shall be entitled to make rules for the use of club facilities, the behaviour of members and shall be entitled to provide in such rules such sanctions for misbehaviour of members of the association as the committee deem fit, including the power of expel any person as a member of the association.

d)      The committee shall take all its decisions by majority vote and a quorum of committee members shall be 4 members, provided that a change of the club rules or disciplinary proceedings in terms of the rules shall be decided by a quorum of not less than six members of the committee.  Then the chairman shall have, in addition to his ordinary vote, an additional or decisive vote to be exercised only in event of a deadlock.

THE GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS:

a)      There shall be an annual general meeting of the members at which the committee shall report upon the activities of the association during the past financial year and at which meeting a committee will be elected for the following financial year.  The financial year of the association shall be the period between the 1st March of one year and the 28th February of the next year.

b)      Notice of any general meeting or annual meeting shall be given by posting an appropriate notice to each member’s last known address at least two weeks before the date of the meeting.  Should the committee however be of the view that it is necessary by reason of an emergency or other circumstances that such notice should be dispensed with, the committee may decide upon alternate methods of notification and a shorter period of notice.  Not less than 10 members, or 10% of the members of the association, whichever is the greater number, may upon their signatures instruct the committee in writing to call a general meeting for discussion of a specific proposal.

c)       The constitution of the association may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting at a general meeting, provided that notice of intention to amend the constitution was given the appropriate notice calling the meeting.

MEMBERSHIP:

The association shall consist of a minimum of ten (10) members.  Admission to membership of the association shall be in the discretion of the committee.  The committee shall fix entrance fees and annual subscriptions from time to time and shall make such rules of admission to membership and the creation of various classes of members with different voting rights and privileges as it may deem fit.  The committee shall also be entitled to make rules regarding the lapsing of membership or the suspension of a member’s privileges in default of payment of annual subscriptions or any amount owing to the association by such member.

PERSONAL LIABILITY OF FUNCTIONARIES:

No member of the committee or other functionary of the association shall be liable for any loss or damage occasioned to the club or its property unless such member of the committee or functionary was acting in bad faith.

DISSOLUTION:

Should the association decide to discontinue its activities, its assets shall be transferred to an organisation within the Republic of South Africa with similar aims and objects who are themselves exempt from tax, which said organisation shall be identified by a meeting of the members of the association.