2. Registered Address:

The registered address of the Association shall be in the United Kingdom.

3. Object:

The object of the Association shall be the advancement of academic education, sports and other extracurricular activities at Jaffna Central College and among the needy sections of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka by bringing together the past pupils and teachers of the College in the United Kingdom.

4. Membership:

1. Membership of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) shall be open to all old boys and girls and ex members of the staff of Jaffna Central College and their children who will subscribe to the objectives of the Association.




2. The old boys and girls who attended the inaugural gathering and dinner on 3rd of January 1987, at St. Augustine’s Church Hall, Broadwater Road, Tooting, SW17 0EF, shall be considered as members of the Association with effect from that date, provided, subscriptions are paid.




3. 1. Ordinary Membership:

      Any person eligible to be a member shall become an ordinary member on the day the Secretary accepts a completed Ordinary Membership Application Form along with a payment of £20 in cash being the subscription for the first year and a bank standing order for £20 per year for the annual subscription from the second year onwards. If the first year’s subscription is paid by cheque, then the person shall become an ordinary member only on the day the proceeds of the cheque is realised by the Association’s bank. For administrative purposes only, irrespective of the date of payment of the first year’s subscription, the membership will be deemed to have commenced on the first day of the month of August of that financial year.

   
   

   2. Life Membership:

      Any person eligible to be a member shall become a life member on the day the General Secretary accepts a completed Life Membership Application Form along with a payment of £100 in cash being life membership subscription. If the life membership subscription is paid by cheque, then the person shall become a life member on the day the proceeds of the cheque is realised by the Association’s bank.

      OR

      Any Person eligible to be a member can apply to become a life member by submitting a completed Life Membership Application Form to the General Secretary along with a bank standing order for the payment of £20 per month for five consecutive Calendar Months. The Life membership will only commence on the day the Association’s bank receives the first instalment and will only continue if the Association’s bank receives the remaining four instalments.

   
   

   3. Junior Membership:

      All children under eighteen years of age, of old boys and girls and ex members of the staff of the College are eligible to become "Junior Members" who are not eligible to vote or stand for elections. After eighteen years of age, they are eligible to become Ordinary or Life Members on an application to the Secretary with the appropriate payment.

   
   

4. The associate membership shall be open to well wishers who will subscribe to the objectives of the Association. Associate members are not required to pay any subscriptions and are not eligible to vote or stand for elections.




5. The Patron of the Association shall be the incumbent Principal of Jaffna Central College.

5. Cessation Of Membership:

If any member fails to pay his/her subscription for two or more consecutive years, he/she shall ipso facto cease to be a member. If such a member wanted to come back he/she must pay the arrears of subscription. The condition to pay arrears of subscription may be waived, if in the view of the Executive Committee, the member has valid reasons for not renewing his/her subscription.

6. Annual General Meeting:

The Annual General Meeting shall be summoned by the Secretary upon the direction of the Executive Committee in the months of September to November each year.

The agenda of the Annual General Meeting shall include the following items:

1. Adoption of the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting, Special/or Emergency General Meeting if any.
2. Receive and adopt the report of the Executive Committee.
3. Receive and adopt the audited annual statement of accounts.
4. Presidential address.
5. Election of office bearers and members of the Executive Committee.
6. Resolutions and amendments of which due notice has been given.
7. Any other business.
8. The Quorum for the Annual General Meeting shall be 25 or one fourth (1/4) of the paid up membership on the register, exclude proxies, whichever is less.
9. Where an Annual General Meeting is cancelled due to lack of a quorum and reconvened at a later date, the quorum for the reconvened Annual General Meeting shall at least be equal to the same number as the number of members, exclude proxies, in the current Executive Committee.

7. Special General Meeting:

A Special General Meeting of the JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) shall be summoned by the Secretary in the following circumstances:

1. At the directions of the Executive Committee.
2. By the written requisition specifying the reason in that behalf by at least twenty five (25) or one fourth (1/4) of the membership, exclude proxies, whichever is less.
3. The Quorum for the Special General Meeting shall be 25 or one fourth (1/4) of the paid up membership on the register excluding proxies, whichever is less.
4. Where a Special General Meeting is cancelled due to lack of a quorum and reconvened at a later date, the quorum for the reconvened Special General Meeting shall at least be equal to the same number as the number of members, exclude proxies, in the current Executive Committee.

8. Emergency General Meeting:

An Emergency General Meeting shall be summoned by the Secretary at the direction of the Executive Committee to discuss and decide any matter of urgency. No other matter shall be discussed at such meetings. The Quorum shall be twenty five (25) members excluding proxies.

9. Special General Meeting:

The Executive Committee shall consist of:

1. The President.
2. Three (3) Vice Presidents.
3. The Secretary.
4. The Assistant Secretary.
5. The Treasurer.
6. The Assistant Treasurer.
7. 1. Seven (7) Committee Members, all of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
   2. In the event, the Annual General Meeting is unable to find suitable and willing persons among those present at the meeting to elect all the seven Committee Members, the Annual General Meeting shall authorise the Executive Committee to appoint the remaining number of the Committee members.
   3. Only Members of the Association, who have actively served, for at least a year, as a member of the Executive Committee of the Association, prior to offering themselves as candidates for the election to the Post of President, to the Post of Secretary or to the Post of Treasurer, shall be eligible to do so.
8. The immediate past President, Secretary and Treasurer shall continue to be ex‐officio committee members until the next Annual General Meeting.

10. Auditor:

An Auditor who shall not be a member of the Executive Committee shall also be elected at the Annual General Meeting.

11. Trustees:

The Trustees of the Association shall consist of the President, Secretary, Treasurer and two other members of the Executive Committee elected by the Executive Committee. Functions of the Trustees will be as determined by Law.

12. The Function Of The Executive Committee:

1. Appoint sub‐committees from among its members with right to co‐opt from outside to perform specified tasks. The President, the Secretary and the Treasurer shall be ex‐officio members of all Sub‐committees.
2. To consider, decide and carry out fund raising activities.
3. To incur expenditure up to a maximum of one thousand pounds (£1,000)
4. To determine the agenda for the Annual General Meeting and Special General Meeting.
5. Generally to ensure that the activities of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) are efficiently and effectively carried out.
6. The Executive Committee shall fill the vacancies in the committee except the posts of President and Secretary which shall have to be filled at the General Meeting.
7. Any committee member who fails to attend three consecutive committee meetings without adequate excuse shall cease to be a member and such vacancy shall be filled by the Executive Committee.
8. Election of two members of the Executive Committee to act as Trustees.

13. Quorum:

The Quorum for the meeting of the Executive Committee shall be seven members thereof.

14. Meetings:

The Executive committee shall meet once in two months or as deemed necessary.

15. President:

The President or in his absence one of the Vice Presidents shall normally preside at the Annual General Meeting, Special General Meeting, Emergency General Meeting and Executive Committee meeting.

16. Secretary:

The Secretary or in his absence the Assistant Secretary shall maintain proper minutes of meetings of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) and be the custodian of all correspondence.

17. Treasurer:

The Treasurer or in his absence the Assistant Treasurer shall maintain proper record of income and expenditure and up to date register of members of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch). The Treasurer shall submit an audited statement of accounts to the Annual General Meeting.

18. Finance:

1. All monies raised by or on behalf of the JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) shall be applied to further the objectives of the Association and for no other purpose provided that nothing herein contain shall prevent the payment in good faith of reasonable and proper remuneration to any employee of the organisation or the repayment to members of the committee appointed under Section 11, Clause 1, hereof reasonable out of pocket expenses.
2. The Bank Account shall be opened in the name of the Association with Lloyds Bank plc, Raynes Park & West Wimbledon Branch or with such other Bank as the Executive Committee shall decide from time to time. The Executive Committee shall authorise in writing, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the President and the Assistant Treasurer to sign cheques on behalf of the Association. All cheques must be signed by any two of the four authorised signatories.

19. Trust Property:

The title to all real or personal property which may be acquired by or on behalf of the Association shall be vested to a corporation lawfully entitled to act as custodian trustee or in not less than three or more than five individual persons who could be the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer or any other three from the Executive Committee.

20. Voting

1. Voting in all bodies of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) shall be open and by a show of hands, provided however the Executive Committee or the members present at a duly constituted General Meeting shall have the power to prescribe secret and/or postal voting.
2. A member may cast vote in person or by post or by proxy. A proxy must be a member of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) and the instrument appointing the proxy must be deposited with the Secretary not less than four hours before the appointed time for the commencement of the specified meeting.
3. Decisions by all bodies of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) shall be arrived at by majority vote unless provided to the contrary herein.
4. The President of the JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) shall have the power to exercise a casting vote in the event of a tie.

21. Amendments To The Constitution:

Amendment, alteration, deletion or addition to the Constitution may be effected, after due notice being given in that behalf, at a General Meeting of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) at which at least two thirds of the votes are in favour of such change. However, no amendment, alteration, deletion or addition to the constitution may be effected which would have the effect of making the association cease to be Charity at Law.

22. Notices:

The required notices for the following meetings etc shall be:

1. Annual General Meeting: 21 days
2. Special General Meeting: 15 days
3. Emergency General Meeting: 15 days
4. Resolutions and amendments to Annual and Special General Meetings shall be received by the Secretary: 10 days
5. Executive Committee meeting: 7 days

23. Interpretation:

For the interpretation of this constitution, the Interpretation Act 1978 shall apply as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of parliament.

24. Standing Orders:

1. The General Meeting may adopt standing orders not inconsistent with the article of the Constitution by a two third majority of those voting for the efficient and effective pursuit and prosecution of the objectives of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) and proper conduct of meetings of JCC OB & GA (UK Branch) and its elected bodies.
2. Standing orders adopted in pursuance of the preceding article shall have the force and effect as if they were provisions of the Constitution.

25. Dissolutions:

If the Executive Committee by a simple majority decide at any time on the ground of expense or otherwise it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Association, it shall summon a meeting of all the members of the Association who have the power to vote, of which meeting at least 21 days notice (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed thereat) shall be given. If such a decision shall be confirmed by a two third majority of those present and voting at such meeting of which the Quorum shall be 25 exclude proxies, the Executive Committee shall have the power to dispose of any assets held by or on behalf of the Association. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to Jaffna Central College or such other institutions in the UK that are Charities at Law and having objectives similar to those of the Association.