1

CONSTITUTION OF ASIA OCEANIA GEOSCIENCES SOCIETY

NAME
1.1

This Society shall be known as the “Asia Oceania Geosciences Society”, hereinafterreferred to as the “Society”.

PLACE OF BUSINESS
2.1

Its place of business shall be at “1 Commonwealth Lane, #06-23 ONE

COMMONWEALTH, Singapore 149544” or such other address as may subsequently bedecided upon by the Council and approved by the Registrar of Societies. The Society shallcarry out its activities only in places and premises which have the prior written approval fromthe relevant authorities, where necessary.

OBJECTIVES
3.1

The Society shall pursue scientific objectives exclusively. Members of the Society

shall not receive any remuneration from the Society, but may be reimbursed expenses
incurred on Society’s business based on the established guidelines approved by the Council.

3.2

Its objectives are:a)To further the cooperation and discussion in Asia and Oceania amongscientists concerned with studies of the Earth and its environment and theplanetary and space sciences.

b)

To promote and encourage the development of any or all of the relevantsciences within and outside Asia and Oceania.

3.3

The Society shall achieve the objectives through the organization of scientificassemblies, publications, and by any other suitable means.

Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012

2MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATION AND RIGHTS
4.1

The membership of the Society shall consist of the following:a) Individual Members
Individual members are persons who subscribe to the objectives of the Society.

b) Honorary Members
Honorary members are persons whose international standing in geosciences, or whose
services to the Society are recognised by the Society and are elected by the GeneralMeeting.

c) Supporting MembersSupporting members are individuals, corporations or institutions who support theobjectives of the Society, with the approval of the Council.

4.2

Only Individual Members who are 21 years of age and above shall have the right tovote and hold office in the society.

4.3

Membership of the Society, in whatever category, does not constitute any right to thefunds of the Society.

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
5.1

A person who pays to attend the Society’s Annual Meeting/Conference will be

automatically included as an Individual Member of the Society for a period of 3 years.
Membership will be discontinued if the member does not attend at least one of the Society’s
Annual Meetings/Conferences in three (3) consecutive years.

5.2

The Council will decide on the application for membership. A copy of theConstitution shall be made available to every member.

CESSATION OF MEMBERSHIP
6.1

The membership of a member shall cease in the following circumstances:a)

The death of the member;b)

Failure to attend at least one of the Society’s Annual Meetings/Conferences inthree (3) consecutive years.
Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012

3

ENTRANCE FEES, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND OTHER DUES
7.1

The membership fees shall be determined by the General Meeting on

recommendation from the Council from time to time.

7.2

Any additional fund required for special purposes may only be raised from memberswith the consent of the General Meeting.

SUPREME AUTHORITY AND GENERAL MEETINGS
8.1

The supreme authority of the Society is vested in a General Meeting presided over bythe President.

8.2

An Annual General Meeting shall be held within 5 months of the close of theFinancial Year.

8.3

At other times, an Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the President on

the request in writing of not less than 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting
members, which is the lesser, and may be called at anytime by order of the Council. The
notice in writing shall be given to the Secretary General setting forth the business that is to betransacted. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within two months fromreceiving this request to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting.

8.4

If the Council does not proceed to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting within

two months after the date of the receipt of the written request, then the members whorequested the Extraordinary General Meeting shall convene the Extraordinary General
Meeting by giving ten days’ notice to voting members setting forth the business to betransacted and simultaneously posting the agenda on the Society’s notice board.

8.5

At least two weeks’ notice shall be given of an Annual General Meeting and at leastten days’ notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting. A notice stating the date, time andplace of the meeting shall be sent by the Secretary to all voting members. The particulars ofthe agenda shall be posted on the Society’s notice board four days in advance of the meeting.

Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012

48.6

Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, voting by proxy shall not be allowed at

any General Meetings.

8.7

The following points will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:a)

The previous financial year’s accounts and annual report of the Council.

b)

Where applicable, the election of office-bearers and Auditors for the following term.

8.8

Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a General Meeting may do

so by giving notice to the Secretary General one week before the meeting is due to be held.

8.9

At least 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is thelesser, present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. Proxies shall not be constituted aspart of the quorum.

8.10

In the event of there being no quorum at the commencement of a General Meeting,the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and should the number then present be
sufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall haveno power to amend any of the existing Constitution.

SECTIONS
9.1

The Society comprises Sections covering different areas of geosciences. The Sections

are:Atmospheric Science,Biogeosciences,Hydrological Science,
Interdisciplinary Geosciences,
Ocean Science,
Planetary Science,
Solar and Terrestrial Science,
Solid Earth Science.

9.2

The formation of new Sections and the reorganization of Sections must be approvedby the Council and ratified by an Annual General Meeting.

Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012

5
9.3

Each Section shall have its own Section President, Section Vice-President (President-Elect or Past-President) and one or more Section Secretaries.

MANAGEMENT AND COUNCIL10.1

The administration of the Society shall be entrusted to the Council comprising of an

Executive Committee, the Assistant Secretary General, the Assistant Treasurer and theSection Presidents. The Executive Committee consists of the following:
A President,
A Vice-President,
A Secretary General,
A Treasurer.

10.2

The President shall serve for a term of two years. He/She shall be elected one year

before the beginning of the term and serve as Vice-President (President-Elect), and shallcontinue for one year after the term as a member of the Council as Vice-President (PastPresident). A Vice-President is either President-Elect or Past-President or Acting VicePresident.

10.3

The Secretary General shall serve for a term of two years. He/She shall be elected one

year before the beginning of the term and serve as Assistant Secretary General (SecretaryGeneral-Elect), and shall continue for one year after the term as a member of Council asAssistant Secretary General (Past-Secretary General). An Assistant Secretary General iseither Secretary General-Elect or Past-Secretary General or Acting Assistant SecretaryGeneral.

10.4

The Treasurer shall serve a term of two years and not be eligible for the consecutiveterm. He/She shall be elected one year before the beginning of the term and serve as Assistant
Treasurer (Treasurer-Elect) and shall continue for one year after the term as a member ofCouncil as Assistant Treasurer (Past-Treasurer). An Assistant Treasurer is either TreasurerElect or Past-Treasurer or Acting Assistant Treasurer.

10.5

The Section Presidents shall serve for a term of two years. Each shall be elected one

year before the beginning of the term and serve as Section Vice-President (Section PresidentElect), and shall continue for one year after the term as Section Vice-President (Past-Section
Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012

6President). A Vice-President is either President-Elect or Past-President or Acting VicePresident.

10.6

For the election of Council members at the Annual General Meeting, the Council may

appoint a Nomination Committee.

10.7

The tasks of the Nomination Committee are as follows:a) Prepare a slate of candidates for the Council members, i.e., President-Elect, Secretary
General-Elect, Treasurer-Elect and Section Presidents-Elect. Ideally, two to three candidates
are required for each of these positions. The candidates for Section Presidents-Elect will beidentified in consultation with the individual Sectionsb) Ascertain the willingness of all candidates to stand for election; andc) Present the proposed slates to the Council for approval. In selecting nominees, care should
be given to assure that there is representation of the Society’s diverse regional anddisciplinary interests and that the Council reflect, over time, a reasonable balance of theseinterests.

10.8

Election will be by ballot. In the event of a tie, the Chair of the Nomination

Committee shall have a casting vote. Ballots marked for candidates for Section PresidentElect in more than one Section will be declared null and void as far as Section elections areconcerned. Space for write-in candidates will also be provided.

10.9

A Council Meeting shall be held at least 3 times a year after giving seven days' notice

to Council members. The President may call a Council meeting at any time by giving fivedays' notice. At least 1/2 of the Council members must be present for its proceedings to bevalid.

10.10 Any members of the Council absenting themselves from three meetings consecutively
without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to be withdrawn from the Council and asuccessor may be co-opted by the Council to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.
Any changes in the Council shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two weeks ofthe change.
Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 20127

10.11 The duty of the Council is to organise and supervise the day to day activities of theSociety. The Council may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting
without prior reference to it and shall always remain subordinate to the General Meetings.

10.12 The Council has power to authorise the expenditure of a sum not exceeding $50,000/per month from the Society’s funds for the Society’s purposes.

10.13 The Council may appoint a professional secretariat to perform assigned duties. The
appointed secretariat may be nominated by the Council to be an official signatory forwithdrawals from the bank.

10.14 In the event of a Council member being elected to simultaneously be President andVice President, or Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General, or Treasurer andAssistant Treasurer, the General Meeting of members shall elect a person to act for arenewable one year term as the relevant Vice or Assistant officer. If the General Meeting fails
to elect, the Council shall appoint an individual to act for a renewable one year term as therelevant Vice or Assistant officer.

10.15 In the event of a Council member being elected to simultaneously be both President
and Vice President of the same Section, then Council may appoint a person to act for arenewable one year term as the relevant Vice President. This officer will be known as theActing Vice President. Council will ideally appoint an individual nominated by the relevant
Section’s Business Meeting.

DUTIES OF THE OFFICE-BEARERS
11.1

The President shall chair all General and Council meetings. He/she shall also

represent the Society in its dealings with outside persons.

11.2

The Vice-President shall assist the President and deputise for him/her in his/herabsence.

Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012

811.3The Secretary General shall keep all records, except financial, of the Society and shallbe responsible for their correctness. He/she will keep minutes of all General and Councilmeetings. He/she shall maintain an up-to-date Register of members at all times.

11.4

The Assistant Secretary General shall assist the Secretary General and deputise forhim/her in his/her absence.

11.5

The Treasurer and/or an appointed Society Secretariat shall keep all funds and collectand disburse all moneys on behalf of the Society and shall keep an account of all monetarytransactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. He/She and/or the Society
Secretariat is authorized to expend up to $1,000/- per month for petty expenses on behalf ofthe Society. He/She will not keep more than $1,000/- in the form of cash and money inexcess of this will be deposited in a bank to be named by the Council. Cheques, etc. forwithdrawals from bank will be signed by the Treasurer and either the President or up to any 2
members of the Council.

11.6

The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and deputise for him/her in his/herabsence.

11.7

A Section Vice-President shall assist the Section President and deputise for him/her in

his/her absence.

AUDIT AND FINANCIAL YEAR
12.1

One voting member, not being a member of the Council, shall be elected as Honorary

Auditor at alternate Annual General Meeting and will hold office for a term of two years. TheCouncil will appoint a certified auditor to audit the Society’s accounts. The auditor will beapproved at alternate Annual General Meeting and will hold office for a term of two years.

12.2

The auditora)

Will be required to audit each year’s accounts and present a report upon them to theAnnual General Meeting.
b)

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.

Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012

912.3

The financial year shall be from 1st June to 31st May.

TRUSTEES
13.1

If the Society at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall bevested in trustees subject to a declaration of trust.

13.2

The trustees of the Society shall:a)

Not be more than four and not less than two in number.

b)

Be elected by a General Meeting..

c)

Not effect any sale or mortgage of property without the prior approval of the General

Meeting.

13.3

The office of the trustee shall be vacated:a)If the trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind.

b)

If he/she is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of more than one year.

c)

If he/she is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undesirable that he/shecontinues as a trustee.
d)

If he/she submits notice of resignation from his/her trusteeship.

13.4

Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his/her trusteeship or to appoint a

new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by posting it on the notice board in the Society’s
premises at least two weeks before the General Meeting at which the proposal is to be
discussed. The result of such General Meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar ofSocieties.

13.5

The address of each immovable property, name of each trustee and any subsequentchange must be notified to the Registrar of Societies.

AWARD
14.1

In order to achieve its objectives, the Society shall present Awards and Medals, inaddition to Honorary Memberships defined in Rule 4.1. The Council shall appoint an Award
Committee to:a)consider the need or desirability for creation of new awards and medals of theSociety;
Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 201210b)

identify and nominate appropriate recipients of the awards, medals, and Honorary

Memberships;c)report the slates of candidates to the Council for approval.

VISITORS AND GUESTS
15.1

Visitors and guests may be admitted into the premises of the Society but they shall not

be admitted into the privileges of the Society. All visitors and guests shall abide by theSociety’s rule and regulations.

PROHIBITIONS
16.1

Gambling of any kind, excluding the promotion or conduct of a private lottery which

has been permitted under the Private Lotteries Act Cap 250, is forbidden on the Society’s
premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters
into the premises is prohibited.

16.2

The funds of the Society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been

convicted in a court of law.

16.3

The Society shall not engaged in any trade union activity as defined in any written

law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.

16.4

The Society shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or

indirectly any recommendation for any arrangement with its members which has the purpose
or is likely to have the effect of fixing or controlling the price or any discount, allowance orrebate relating to any goods or service which adversely affect consumer interests.

16.5

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

16.6

The Society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in thename of the Society or its office-bearers, Council or members unless with the prior approvalof the relevant authorities.

Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012

1116.7

The Society shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without theprior approval in writing of the Head, Licensing Division, Singapore Police Force and otherrelevant authorities.

AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
17.1

No alteration or addition/deletion to this Constitution shall be made except at theGeneral Meeting and with the consent of two-thirds of the voting members present at theGeneral Meeting, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of theRegistrar of Society.

INTERPRETATION
18.1

In the event of any question or matter pertaining to day-to-day administration which is

not expressly provided for in this Constitution, the Council shall have power to use their own
discretion. The decision of the Council shall be final unless it is reversed at a GeneralMeeting.

DISPUTES
19.1

In the event of any dispute arising amongst members, they shall attempt to resolve thematter at an Extraordinary General Meeting in accordance with this Constitution. Should themembers fail to resolve the matter, they may bring the matter to a court of law for settlement.

DISSOLUTION
20.1

The Society shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than 3/5 of thetotal voting membership of the Society for the time being resident in Singapore expressed,
either in person or by proxy, at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.

20.2

In the event the Society being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities

legally incurred on behalf of the Society shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds
will be disposed of in such manner as the General Meeting may determine or donate to an
approved charity or charities in Singapore.

20.3

A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within seven days of the dissolution to theRegistrar of Societies.
- THE END Updated and Approved by ROS dated 02 November 2012