Notice of Annual General Meeting
The annual General Meeting of U3A Redcliffe Inc. will be held on Saturday 22 March, 2025 at the Redcliffe campus.
Doors will open at 9:30 am. The meeting will begin at 10:00am.
- Only Financial Members may attend at the AGM.
- Voting rules as stated in Section 5 (d) of the Constitution are as follows: ‘Only those members who are financial members at the time shall be entitled, subject to the lawful procedure of the meeting to speak or vote upon any motion at any annual or general meeting of the Association’.
- Voting at the AGM is usually by a show of hands.
- Included with this notice are details of three Special Resolutions concerning proposed changes to the Constitution.
- Changes to the Constitution require approval by Special Resolution. This vote will occur at the AGM.
Proposed Agenda of the A.G.M. – 22 March 2025
- Welcome and apologies;
- Confirmation of the minutes of the AGM held on 23 March 2024;
- Business arising from these minutes;
- Special Resolutions – Proposed Constitutional Changes;
- President’s Report;
- Treasurer’s Report;
- Appointment of an auditor for 2025;
- Announcement of the results of the ballot for members of the Management Committee for 2025;
- Presentation of awards for life membership, appreciation, and long service awards – 10, 20, 30 years;
- Late morning tea.
Jeff Pedersen
(Secretary)
U3A Redcliffe Inc. AGM 2025
Special Resolutions: Proposed changes to the Constitution of U3A Redcliffe Inc.
At its January 2025 meeting, the Management Committee of U3A Redcliffe Inc. resolved to place changes to three Clauses in our Constitution before members. These have the effect of clarifying, simplifying and improving the rules of our organisation.
These changes are framed below as three Special Resolutions to be voted upon by members at our March 2025 Annual General Meeting. They, and the reasons for recommending them to the membership, are outlined below.
In summary, the Special Resolutions are:
Special Resolution 1: That the proposed changes to Clause 5 in our Constitution, governing the date of payment of the annual membership subscription fee, be approved.
Special Resolution 2: That the proposed change to Clause 6 in our Constitution, governing the age-eligibility of people for membership to U3A Redcliffe, be approved.
Special Resolution 3: That the proposed change to sub-clause 15.2(iii) in our Constitution, clarifying the reasons why a general meeting may be called by the Secretary and bringing this Clause into line with Clause 8, be approved.
Explanations and proposed Changes
Special Resolution 1 – Changes to Clause 5
In our Constitution, as outlined in Clause 5, members have until December 31st, the end of our financial year, to pay their subscription fee for the following year and remain financial. However, the Constitution also currently provides members with an additional three months in which to renew their subscriptions. This inadvertently creates two ‘classes’ of current members for the first three months of the year – financial and non-financial members – and leads to confusion in relation to membership status and eligibility to participate in our classes.
In clause 5 the proposed changes to sub-clauses (a) and (b) specifies just one date for financial membership – December 31st of each year. After this date members would cease to be members.
However, with the insertion of a new sub-clause (c) recently lapsed members will have the opportunity to renew their membership and maintain continuity of membership at any point in the 12 months after their membership expires (rather than just the current three month period). The remaining sub-clauses become (d) and (e) to make way for the insertion of the new sub-clause new (c).
These changes will simplify the work of our course coordination team, membership officers, and office volunteers by simplifying membership renewals and clarifying eligibility to participate in classes. They will also provide members with a clear guideline as to by which date they should renew their membership each year.
The current Clause 5 from the Constitution is reproduced below. The proposed additions are underlined. The proposed deletions are presented as text which is struck out.
5. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
The annual subscription for each financial year shall be such sum as the members at any annual or general meeting may from time to time determine.
- The annual subscription shall be payable in advance before the first day in every financial year (being January 1st);
- A member who is in arrears with his/her annual subscription on January 1st
for 3 (three) calendar monthsshall be deemed to have forfeited his/her membership;
- Nothwithstanding 5(b) above, a member who is in arrears for less than 12 months and who presents to re-join U3A Redcliffe shall be considered to be a renewing member and shall pay the full year’s annual subscription, thereby maintaining their continuity of membership;
(c) (d) A financial member at any material time is a member who is not then indebted to the Association in respect of any subscription or other payment;
(d) (e) Only those members who are financial members at the time shall be entitled, subject to the lawful procedure of the meeting to speak or vote upon any motion at any annual or general meeting of the Association.
Special Resolution 2 – Change to Clause 6
Clause 6 currently contains the statement that the “Age for membership is 50 years plus”. To have such a categorical statement and ‘hard’ age barrier for membership eligibility is now be seen as discriminatory under the Qld Anti-discrimination Act. The Committee wishes to soften this language in the Constitution by replacing it with the word ‘usually’. This will give the Committee the opportunity to consider each application and the full set of circumstances on a case-by-case basis. It will also assist Office Volunteers, who will no longer feel the need to screen new applications on the basis of age, but will send all new applications to the Committee for consideration.
The current Clause 6 from the Constitution is reproduced below. The proposed addition is underlined. The proposed deletion is presented as text which is struck out.
6. ADMISSION AND REJECTION OF MEMBERS
The application for membership shall be in such form and shall contain such particulars as the Committee may from time to time reasonably prescribe. Membership to U3A Redcliffe Incorporated is offered to people who are in their Third Age (which is the time of active retirement or semi-retirement and of usually having reached 50 years of age). Age for membership is 50 years plus.
Special Resolution 3 – Change to sub-clause 15.2(iii)
The purpose of this change is to bring sub-clause 15.2(iii) into line with Clause 8, which was changed several years ago. In Clause 8, the right to have an appeal on one’s membership status (the rejection of an application, or termination of membership by the Management Committee) has been limited to Ordinary and Life Members. Clause 8 now excludes reciprocal and honorary members from having the right to appeal.
Sub-clause 15.2 describes the circumstances under which the Secretary may call a general meeting, and one of these, in 15.2(iii), currently states that “any person” may appeal a Committee decision on membership. This is no longer correct, given the changes that have previously been approved by our membership in relation to Clause 8.
This proposed change to sub-clause 15.2(iii) inserts additional words into the sub-clause which brings it, and Clause 8, together in terms of their consistency.
The current Clause 15.2(iii) from the Constitution is reproduced below. The proposed additional words are underlined.
15.2 The Secretary shall convene a General Meeting –
(iii) on being given a notice in writing of an intention to appeal against the decision of the Management Committee to reject an application for membership or to terminate the membership of any eligible person as described in Clause 8 of this Constitution.
Jeff Pedersen
Secretary, U3A Redcliffe Inc.
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