Terms and Conditions

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The following terms of membership have been taken from the Australian Hand Surgery Society constitution:

4.1 Categories

There will be 7 categories of members:

  1. foundation members, being those persons who were foundation members of the predecessor to the Society and who agree in writing to be members of the Society;

  2. active members, being those persons who:

    1. were active members of the predecessor to the Society; or

    2. who apply and are accepted for membership to the Society in accordance with this Clause 4;

  3. honorary members, being:

    1. those persons who were honorary members of the predecessor to the Society; or

    2. persons of distinction who are appointed as an honorary member of the Society by the members in general meeting after being nominated by the directors;

  4. corresponding members, being those persons:

(i) who satisfy the requirements to be an active member, except for clause 4.2.1(b)(ii); and

(ii) who are registered and practising as a medical practitioner overseas;

(e) retired members, being:

  1. those persons who were active members or foundation members and

  2. who have retired from operative and from consultative practice; and

  3. apply and are accepted for membership as a retired members of the society in accordance with this Clause 4.

(f) senior members, being:

(i) those persons who were active members or foundation members, and

(ii) have reached the age of 65 and continue to be active in operative and /or consultative practice; and

(iii) apply and are accepted for membership as a senior member of the Society in accordance with this Clause 4;

(g) provisional members, being those persons who apply and are accepted for provisional membership of the Society in accordance with this clause 4

4.2 Criteria

4.2.1 A person is eligible to apply for active membership of the Society if that person:

(a) (i) is prepared and able to support the activities of the Society, whether financially or otherwise, to an extent to which the directors consider is such that the person concerned will enhance the activities of the Society; or

(ii) possesses such abilities and qualities or is of such standing that the directors believe the person concerned would contribute to the achievement of the objects; and

(b) (i) holds a recognised higher surgical degree or qualification and has received recognised training in the principles and practices of hand surgery: or

(ii) by virtue of experience in Australia as a medical practitioner has acquired a comparable standard and has a higher surgical degree which is recognised in Australia such as a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons or an equivalent.

4.2.2 A person is eligible to apply to become a Provisional Member of the Society if that person:

(a) (i) is prepared and able to support the activities of the Society whether financially or otherwise to an extent which the directors consider is such that the person concerned will enhance the activities of the Society ; or

  1. possesses such abilities or qualities of such standing that the directors believe that the person would contribute to the achievement of the objects of the Society; and

(b) is registered as a medical practitioner in Australia and has a higher surgical degree which is recognised in Australia, such as a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons or equivalent.

4.3 Applications

Each application for membership (application) must be:

  1. in writing;

  2. in form acceptable to the directors;

  3. signed by the intended member and proposed and seconded in writing by two voting members:

  4. delivered to the Secretary at least 2 months before the next annual general meeting; and

  5. accompanied by the application fee determined by the directors from time to time.

4.4 Consideration

  1. The Secretary will submit each application to the directors for their consideration.

  2. The directors will consider each application and may endorse or not endorse an application in their discretion without giving reasons.

4.5 Acceptance

(a) Each application endorsed by the directors will be submitted to the members at the next annual general meeting.

(b) The voting members may, by resolution in general meeting, accept an application.

(c) An application not accepted is deemed to have been rejected.

4.6 Admission

Upon the acceptance of an application, the Secretary will:

  1. notify the proposed member of the acceptance; and

  2. enter that person’s name in the Register of Members.

4.7 Fees

(a) Each member is liable to pay such fees as may be determined by the directors from time to time.

(b) The voting members may, by resolution in general meeting, vary or revoke any fees determined by the directors.

(c) A Senior Member is liable to pay such reduced annual fees as are determined by the directors from time to time.

(d) A Retired Member is exempt from paying annual fees.

4.8 Cessation

  1. A member ceases to be a member, if the member:

  2. dies;

  3. fails to pay any fee payable under to this constitution and that amount remains unpaid for more that 2 years;

  4. is expelled as a member pursuant to the provision of clause 4.10; or

  5. resigns as a member by giving notice in writing to the Secretary

(v) has been a provisional member for the period from the date of election of membership to the conclusion of the second annual general meeting after the Provisional Member’s election and has not been elected to become an Active Member during the period. In exceptional circumstances, the directors may recommend that the period of provisional membership be extended until the end of the third Annual General Meeting after the Provisional Member’s election, provided that the member concerned makes application in writing to the Secretary at least one month prior to the second Annual General Meeting after the Provisional Member’s election to Provisional Membership.

  1. Upon a member ceasing to be a member, the member’s rights and privileges cease.

  2. Nothing in this clause 4.8 prejudices or affects a member’s obligation to:

    1. pay any amount due and payable to the Society; or

    2. contribute to the Society’s property as provided for in clause 3.

4.9 Transferability

The rights and privileges of a member cannot be transferred to any person.

4.10 Expulsion

  1. Subject to clauses 4.10(b) and 4.10(c), the voting members may expel a member if a member:

  2. breaches any provision of this constitution binding on the member; or

  3. engages in any conduct which, in the reasonable opinion of the directors, is unbecoming of a member or which is prejudicial or adverse to the interest of the Society.

  4. The voting members can only expel a member by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of voting members at a general meeting.

(c) The voting members cannot expel a member unless they:

  1. give the member not less than 30 days written notice of their intention to propose a resolution referred to in clause 4.10(b); and

  2. allow the member to present reasons why the member should not be expelled either by:

  3. addressing the voting members for a period not exceeding 30 minutes at or before the date of the meeting provided that the member must give the Society not less than 7 days notice before the meeting of the member’s intention to exercise its rights under this clause 4.10(c); or

  4. submitting written reasons not exceeding 1,000 words not less than 7 days before the meeting.