CCHS Annual General Meeting, Tuesday 19th March 2013 at 8 pm ... Call for election of committee office bearers for 2013

[Andy Gelme]

To all CCHS members,

Our Rules of Association (Section 9) require an Annual General Meeting with the following agenda items ...

- Confirm minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting
- Receive committee reports on financial transactions
- Elect the new committee
- Consider statement submitted by our Association
- Any other business (agenda to be settled prior to the AGM)

Our AGM will be held on Tuesday, 19th March 2013 at 8 pm at the Geebung Polo Club, 85 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn East (upstairs function room) ... very close to the Auburn train station.  We'll have a prior social get-together (food / drinks) from 6:30 pm at the same location (a table has been reserved).

Important: please use meetup to RSVP, so that we have an idea of numbers (for dinner and for the AGM) so that the reservations can be adjusted accordingly ...
   http://www.meetup.com/Connected-Community-HackerSpace-Melbourne/events/107702642

You may vote or be nominated as a committee member, if you have paid the $50 annual membership fee (typically by simply paying your facility access fees) ...
   http://www.hackmelbourne.org/about-cchs/fees

If you wish to be nominated for the committee, then you must become a financial member one week prior to the AGM.  If you only wish to vote, then you can become a financial member anytime up-until the start of the AGM.

Voting isn’t compulsory, and you can be a financial or non-financial member and attend the event, even if you don’t vote.

Between now and the AGM, there will be further description of the committee roles and commitment, potential goals and road-map.  Please feel free to ask any questions and propose any reasonable agenda items applicable to an AGM.

Rules of our association

The CCHS was associated 2 years ago on 14th February 2011 (the CCHS was started 4 years ago in March 2009).  A copy of our Rules can be found on-line here ...

   http://www.hackmelbourne.org/cchs/rules-of-association
   http://www.hackmelbourne.org/cchs/statement-of-purpose

If you haven't skimmed those Rules, I recommend that you do, because as a financial member you have rights provided by those Rules.

Membership fees

The annual membership fee is $50.  This fee permits you to vote or be nominated for a committee position.

If you have been paying the facility fee, then the first $50 of your facility fee (each year) is considered to be your annual membership fee ... no need to pay an additional $50.

Election of office bearers

Consumer Affairs Victoria requires our association to have the following offices:

• President
• Vice-president
• Treasurer
• Secretary (may also serve as Public Officer, for communication with CAV)
• Two ordinary members.

We will be holding elections for these positions.  Our Returning Officer will be Stuart Young <cefiar at gmail dot com>

Nominations

We hereby call for nominations for these positions.  In order to stand, you must be a paid member, and you can’t be the Returning Officer.  All positions are open and there are at present, no nominations.  Nominations must be in writing, showing consent of the member being nominated, and be signed by another member.  Nominations must be delivered to the Returning Officer by the end of our usual Tuesday meeting on March 12th 2013.

You may register your intention to nomination someone for a committee position by sending email to the current Public Officer via the CCHS committee email list ... connected-comm...@googlegroups.com ... this will help us gauge interest and avoid a last minute scramble next week (if insufficient nominations have been received to fill the committee positions).

We welcome nominations for anyone interested in taking an active role in helping or representing the members.  It doesn't matter whether you are a long-time existing member or a new member of just a few weeks, as long as you've paid your annual membership fee and are able to commit some of your time to committee activities.  Committee members should be prepared to attend committee meetings in person (or virtually) and stay in-touch as much as possible.

Note: Over the years, many CCHS members have undertaken very valuable tasks, whilst not being on the committee.  We encourage everyone to participate in making the CCHS a successful group, without having to be officially elected for some role.

Voting

If there is only one nomination for an office, that nominee becomes the office bearer.  If there are no nominations, any member present at the meeting may stand for an office.  If there is more than one nomination for an office, the Returning Officer will conduct an election.  You may vote in an election in person, or by proxy.  When the office-bearers have been chosen, the Returning Officer will announce the results.

To vote by proxy, use the attached form and give or email it to the Returning Officer.

• The person you nominate as your proxy must be present at the election.
• You must have the proxy’s written approval to act as a proxy for you.
• The Returning Officer may act as a proxy.
• Your proxy form can only be used to decide on the issues listed on the proxy form.
• If emailing it, the proxy form should originate from your customary email address.  The Returning Officer will assess and decide on its validity and authenticity.
• Proxy votes are not counted if there is no suitable advertised candidate for an office, and it is necessary to conduct an office election of members present for that office.

Nomination for association office

1. I, (name)                                       of (address)
    being a member of Connected Community Hackerspace, do nominate
    (name)                                         (for the office of __________________ )

2. I, (name)                                       of (address)
    being a member of Connected Community Hackerspace, do accept the above nomination.

3. I, (name)                                       of (address)
    being a member of Connected Community Hackerspace, do hereby witness the above nomination.

(Nomination must be according to section 23 of the Rules of Association)

Appointment of voting and election proxy

I, (name)                                           of (address)
being a member of Connected Community Hackerspace
appoint (name of proxy holder)                                           of (address of proxy holder)
being a member of that Incorporated Association, as my proxy to vote on my behalf at the Annual General Meeting of the Association to be held on 19th March, 2013 and at any adjournment of that meeting.

I authorise the proxy holder to lodge my vote for office bearers, as follows:

Office	Nominated Candidate
President
Vice-president
Treasurer
Secretary / Public Officer
Ordinary member 1
Ordinary member 2

Signed:

Date:

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