THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF SINGAPORE (FOUNDED 1950)

RULES

1.0.0           NAME

1.1.0           The name of the Society shall be "The Photographic Society of Singapore" (hereinafter in these Rules referred to as "the Society").

 

2.0.0           PLACE OF BUSINESS AND MEETING

2.1.0           Its place of business shall be the address registered with the Registrar of Societies, Singapore.

 

3.0.0           AIMS

3.1.0           The object of the Society shall be to foster the practice and appreciation of photography in Singapore. To this end the Society shall endeavour to:

3.2.0           provide for its members such of the normal facilities of a photographic Society as its finances shall permit;

3.3.0           organise photographic exhibitions, competitions, seminars, or other photographic events of national, regional, or international nature.

 

4.0.0           EMBLEM

4.1.0           The emblem of the Society shall be the camera shutter with the Lion of Singapore profile and the words "The Photographic Society of Singapore” in the English and Chinese languages. (as shown in page 7).

 

5.0.0           MEMBERSHIP

5.1.0           Membership of the Society shall be open to any person or organization interested in photography. There shall be seven kinds of  members, namely;

5.2.0           Ordinary Members:

Singapore citizens and permanent residents who shall be 18 years of age and over and shall have voting rights;

5.3.0           Junior Members, Singapore residents who shall be under18 years of age and shall have all the privileges of Ordinary Members except that they shall hold no office in Council and shall have no nomination nor voting rights;

5.4.0           Life Members, who, having been Ordinary Members of good standing for a  minimum period of three years, have had their application for Life Member ship approved by the Council;

5.5.0           Corporate Members, that is to say, business houses which may nominate a representative to attend any general meeting of the Society, but shall have no voting rights nor shall they hold any office in the Society;

5.6.0           Affiliate Members, that is to say, photographic societies in any overseas country or in Singapore who have had their application for affiliation to the Society approved by the Council;

 

5.7.0           Overseas Members:

Non Singaporeans not residing in Singapore, or those residing in Singapore but are not permanent residents yet, who may not hold office nor have any nominating rights nor  voting rights;

5.8.0           Honorary Life Members, that is to say, persons who have rendered distinguished service to the Society or to photography and have been elected by the Council. Honorary Life Members shall possess all the privileges of Ordinary Members except that they shall have no nominating nor voting rights nor hold office in Council.

6.0.0           All applications for any class of membership shall be subjected to the approval of the Council.

7.0.0           ENTRANCE FEE AND SUBSCRIPTION

7.1.0           The entrance fee for all classes of members shall be $60.

7.2.0           The annual subscription for Ordinary, Corporate, Affiliate and Non Resident members shall be $40 payable in advance on the date of approval as a member of the Society and thereafter shall be paid annually in advance.

7.3.0           Junior Members shall pay an annual subscription of $24.

7.4.0           A Life Member shall make a single payment of $1,000 and thereafter be            absolved of paying annual subscriptions to the Society. Those Ordinary Members whose membership has exceeded ten years shall make a single payment of $500 only.

 

8.0.0          MANAGEMENT

8.1.0           The Society shall be managed by a Council consisting of members who shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting. They shall hold office until their successors are appointed.

8.2.0           The Council shall consist of:-

8.2.1           a President

8.2.2           Two Vice Presidents

8.2.3           an Honorary Secretary

8.2.4           an Assistant Honorary Secretary

8.2.5           an Honorary Treasurer

8.2.6           an Assistant Honorary Treasurer

8.2.7           Six Council Members

8.3.0           The President shall act as Chairman at all General and Council meetings. He shall also represent the Society in all its dealings with outside persons and bodies.

8.4.0           The Vice President shall deputize for the President in his absence

8.5.0           The Honorary Secretary shall keep all records of the Society (other than the financial) and shall be responsible for their correctness. He shall keep minutes of all General and Council meetings and shall attend to the general business of the Society.

8.6.0           An Assistant Honorary Secretary shall assist the Honorary Secretary in the discharge of  his duties

8.7.0           The Honorary Treasurer shall keep all the funds of the Society, collect and disburse all money on behalf of the Society and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions of the Society and shall be responsible for its correctness. A sum of $1,000 at any one time from the funds of the Society may be kept in the custody of the Honorary Treasurer as Petty Cash which shall be accounted for.

8.8.0           The Assistant Honorary Treasurer shall assist the Honorary Treasurer in the discharge of his duties.

8.9.0           The Council Members shall assist the key office bearers in managing the Society's affairs, as well as organising events and activities to achieve the aims of the Society.

8.10.0        Auditors: two persons, not being members of the Council, shall be elected as Honorary Auditors at the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office for one year only and shall not be re-elected. They shall be required to audit each year's account and present a report upon them to the Annual General Meeting. They may be required by the President to audit the Society's accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Council.

8.11.0      Advisory Board

8.11.1      The Advisory Board shall comprise:

• Four (4) members appointed by the Society’s Council; and
• The Society’s President, Vice Presidents, Honorary Secretary, and Honorary Treasurer.

8.11.2      The Council may appoint up to three (3) additional persons, who need not be members of the Society, being persons who, in the opinion of the Council, possess the expertise and/or experience to serve as Member of the Advisory Board. When appointed, these persons will enjoy the privileges of an Ordinary Member, except that they shall not have the right to vote at the General or Council meetings. They shall not be eligible to hold office in the Council.

8.11.3             Members of the Advisory Board will appoint among themselves chairperson who will chair the Board's meeting.

8.11.4      Members of the Advisory Board shall take up office contemporaneously with the Council’s tenure.

8.11.5      The role of the Advisory Board shall be advisory. Other than the President, Vice Presidents, Honorary Secretary, and Honorary Treasurer, all other Advisory Board Members shall not hold any executive powers, and shall not be involved in the day-to-day management of the Society.

8.11.6      The Advisory Board shall meet at least once a year. The Society's Honorary Secretary shall function as the Advisory Board's Secretary

8.11.0        .Honorary Patron - a person of good standing, who makes a donation of a minimum of S$20,000 to the Society for the promotion of photography as an art, shall upon approval by the Council, be appointed as Honorary Patron of the Society for a period of two years. This patronage is renewable upon the person making another donation of S$20,000 or more. An Honorary Patron shall become a life member of the Society. A person who has contributed a total of S$100,000 or more, either in a single donation or multiple donations, may be awarded the Honorary Life Membership of the Society by the Council. The Council reserves the right not to accept any such donation without having to assign any reason.

 

9.0.0          Nomination of office bearers in the Council for election in the Annual General Meeting:-

9.1.0           Each office bearer shall be nominated by a member and seconded by another member.

9.2.0           To be eligible as an office bearer in the Council, (excluding the posts of President, Vice President, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer), person shall have been a member of the Society for a period of at least six months.

9.3.1           To qualify for nomination for the post of President, a person shall have been an ordinary member for a minimum period of thirty-six months, of which twelve months shall have been as a member of the Council.

9.3.2           To qualify for nomination for the post of Vice-President, Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer, a person shall have been an ordinary member for a minimum period of twenty-four months, of which twelve months shall have been as a _____  member of the Council.

9.4.0           All the office bearers, except the Honorary Treasurer, shall be eligible for re-election.

10.0.0       POWERS OF THE COUNCIL

10.1.0   The Council shall have the power to:-

10.2.0   conduct the affairs of the Society;

10.3.0       make such by-laws and regulations as it deems necessary for the more efficient conduct of the affairs of the Society;

10.4.0       fill any vacancy in its body, provided that any such appointment shall be reported to the next Annual General Meeting;

10.5.0       appoint a member to represent the Society at any organisation which the Council deems fit;

10.6.0       meet any expenses for the requirements of the Society by authorising payment for the same from the funds of the Society. All funds of the Society shall be deposited in the name of the Society with a bank or other financial institutions approved by the Council. Cheques drawn on the account of the Society shall be signed jointly be one signatory each from the following two groups:-

Group A: Honorary Treasurer and Asst Treasurer; and

Group B: President, Vice President and the Honorary Secretary;

10.7.0  employ such clerk, servants and other employees as the Council may think fit;

11.0.0        MEETINGS

11.1.0        The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held in March of each year and at such meeting, the Council's Report and Statement of Accounts of the Society shall be received and adopted. The election of office bearers shall be conducted once in every two years during the Annual General Meeting.

11.2.0        An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened:-

11.2.1        whenever the Council shall deem it desirable; or

11.2.2        at the request in writing of not less than one-third of total membership eligible to vote or 30 such members whichever is the less of the Society, stating the object the reason for such meeting, which shall take place within 21 days of such request.

11.3.0        The Council shall meet at least once a month and more often if it deems necessary. A notice of at least seven days shall be given of a Council Meeting.

11.4.0        The notice summoning any General Meeting shall be posted at least fourteen days before the date of such meeting.

12.0.0         ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS

12.1.0        The method of election of office bearers shall be by simple majority voting at the Annual General Meeting. In the event of an equal number of votes being cast, the Chairman shall decide the issue with a casting vote in addition to his own.

 

13.0.0         NON-ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS

13.1.0      Any elected member of the Council absenting himself from two consecutive monthly meetings without a satisfactory explanation shall cease to be a member of the Council, and upon his office falling vacant, shall be filled under Rule 10.4.0 above.

 

14.0.0       QUORUM

14.1.0        At any General Meeting one-quarter of the members eligible to vote or 30 such members whichever is the less shall form a quorum.

14.2.0        In the event of there being no quorum, the Meeting shall be adjourned for 30 minutes, and should the number present still be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall then be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to alter amend or make additions to these Rules.

14.3.0        At a meeting of the Council, half of the current number of Council members shall form a quorum.

14A.0.0   TRUSTEES

14A.1.0          If the Society at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in the Trustees subject to a declaration of trust.

14A.2.0   Any trustee may at any time resign his trusteeship. If a trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind or moves permanently or is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of one year, he shall be deemed to have resigned his trusteeship.

14A.3.0   If a trustee is guilty of misconduct of such kind as to render it undesirable that he continues as a trustee, a General Meeting may remove him from his trusteeship.

14A.4.0   Vacancies in the trusteeship may be filled at a General Meeting, but the number shall not be greater than five or less than two.

14A.5.0    Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by affixing in the premises of the Society a document containing such proposal at least two weeks before the meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The result of such meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies.

14A.6.0   The Registrar of Societies shall be notified of the address of the Society's immovable property, names of its trustees and subsequent changes.

 

15.0.0     CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND RESIGNATIONS

15.1.0       Unless the Honorary Secretary shall have been notified in writing it shall be presumed that the last known registered address of a member in the Books of the Society is the correct address for all purposes of correspondence and communication.

15.2.0       Any member of the Society wishing to resign from the Society shall give notice of his desire to do so, in writing, to the Honorary Secretary and a member shall not be deemed to have resigned in the absence of such notice.

 

16.0.0        DEFAULTERS

16.1.0        A member whose subscription remains unpaid for three months shall be served by the Honorary Treasurer with a notice requesting him to pay it within the ensuing fourteen days. Should the subscription remain unpaid after this period has elapsed, the name of the member, shall, in the absence of any reason which to the Council seems reasonable, be removed from the current list of members of the Society. Provided always the Council may suspend the operation of this rule at its discretion.

16.2.0        A member of the Society whose name has been removed from the current list of members may not enjoy any of the privileges of membership until such time as he has paid the arrears of subscription due to the Society.

 

17.0.0        EXPULSION

17.1.0        The Council shall have the power, after proper enquiry, to expel from the Society any member whose conduct has been found, by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members of the Council present at the enquiry, prejudicial to the interests of the Society.

17.2.0        The Council shall ensure that at the enquiry the member in question is afforded an opportunity to be heard and to state his case.

17.3.0        No refund of entrance fee, advance subscription or life membership subscription shall be made to a member expelled by the Council.

18.0.0        PROHIBITION

18.1.0        Gambling in any form shall not be permitted in the premises of the Society.

18.2.0        The funds of the Society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in court.

18.3.0        The Society shall not attempt to restrict or in any other manner interfere with trade or prices or engage in any trade union activity, as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.

18.4.0        The Society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.

 

19.0.0      AMENDMENTS TO RULES

19.1.0        No alterations or additions to these Rules shall be made except at a General Meeting with a full quorum present, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.

 

20.0.0     DISSOLUTION

20.1.0      The Society shall not be dissolved except with the consent of not less than three-fifths of the members eligible to vote for the time being residents in Singapore of the Society expressed either in person or by proxy at a General Meeting convened for the purpose, or by postal vote.

20.2.0        In the event of the Society being dissolved in the manner provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Society shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be divided equally amongst the members.

Notice of dissolution shall be given within seven days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies.

 

21.0.0      INTERPRETATION

21.1.0      When any matter not provided for in the Rules arises, the Council shall have the power to use its own discretion to dispose of or settle the same.

21.2.0      The authentic text of these Rules shall be the English text.