CONSTITUTION

1.     Official Name. The Association shall be known as the Custer Association of Great Britain (hereafter referred to as the “CAGB”). The name and logo of the CAGB are the property of the Association and shall not be used without the express written permission of the CAGB Committee (hereafter referred to as the “Committee”). The CAGB is a non-political, non-profit making organisation.

2.     Objectives. The objectives of the CAGB shall be:

a.    To inform members of the activities of the CAGB and events related to the study of the life and times of George Armstrong Custer, the United States (U.S.) Frontier Army and Plains Indian Wars through the Association’s Journal (hereafter referred to as “The Crow’s Nest”), other publications and its website:

b.    To form a link between groups and individuals interested in all aspects of the American West but in particular those organisations associated with the study of the life and times of George Armstrong Custer, the U.S. Frontier Army and Plains Indian Wars, including the Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association (CBHMA); the English Westerners’ Society (EWS); Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield (FLBB): the Little Big Horn Associates (LBHA) and others with similar objectives:

c.    To hold meetings, known as “Gatherings,” at least twice during the year whenever possible, normally in June and November.

d.    To conduct research and publish articles in The Crow’s Nest on the life and times of George Armstrong Custer, the U.S. Frontier Army and Plains Indian Wars and material on British, Irish, and other European-born members of the U.S. Frontier Army.

3.    Membership. The CAGB shall consist of Full and Associate Members. Only residents of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man will be eligible for Full Membership. Overseas residents will be restricted to Associate Membership. Honorary or complimentary memberships may be granted by agreement of the Committee. In addition:

a.    Renewal of membership is required every 12 months. The Membership Year will run from 1 January to 31 December. If a new member joins inside the 12 months, they will pay the same membership subscription set by the committee for that year and will receive any publications due to the end of the year

b.    All persons applying for membership must give their correct full name and full postal address, including country of residence. In accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2018 and implements General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (and any subsequent Acts applicable to data protection), only those details required for administrative purposes will be stored on a computer. No information will be given, lent or sold to any third party without the consent of the member. All communication from the CAGB to members will be via email with the exception of members with no e-mail access.

c.    Members who, in the opinion of the Committee, cause harm to or bring the CAGB into disrepute will have their current membership terminated and will not have their membership renewed for the following year and if a member of the Committee they will be suspended as an officeholder. They may appeal in writing to the Chairman of the Committee if they feel such action is unjust and their case will be reviewed by the Committee. The Committee’s decision will be final. An ex-member whose membership has been terminated as a result of such action may, after 3 years have elapsed, re-apply to the Committee to re-join the CAGB.

4.    Management and Committee. The CAGB will be managed by a Committee that shall consist of up to 6 members who shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting (Hereafter referred to as the “AGM”) by the membership.

5.    Election of Committee Members. Committee Members will be appointed via a vote of Full Members present and proxy votes cast by Full Members at the AGM. In the event of a tie for any office, the deciding vote will be cast by the Chairman. Additionally:

a.    At the AGM all Committee members shall stand down and shall, be eligible for re-election. If the members are agreeable and should circumstances require (i.e., no other members stand for election) the Committee can be re-elected en bloc;

b.    Any person applying for Committee membership should normally have been a Full Member of the CAGB for at least twelve months;

c.    Should a vacancy occur on the Committee at any time, the Committee may co-opt a member to fill the vacancy. A co-opted member shall be eligible to vote at Committee meetings.

6.     Officers of the Committee and their Duties. The officers of the CAGB, who will constitute all or part of the Committee, may consist of such positions as the Committee deem necessary, but should include the appointments of:

a.    Chairman. The Chairman will:

i.      Organise meetings of the Committee each year either face-to-face or online, whenever possible, ideally to coincide with or before CAGB gatherings;

ii.    Chair the CAGB gatherings;

iii.    Send out periodic Newsletters.

b.    Vice-chairman. The Vice-chairman will:

i.    Deputise for the Chairman in times of illness and unavoidable absence from Gatherings or other meetings;

ii.    Provide support for the Event Co-ordinators and deputise in times of sickness and at other times when appropriate.

c.    Secretary. The Secretary will:

i.    Be responsible for handling all correspondence received by the CAGB;

ii.    Act as the link between the CAGB and other organisations;

iii.    Promote the CAGB in the media;

iv.    Organise a postal ballot for the election of members to the Committee, and other CAGB matters, as deemed necessary by the Committee.

v.    Be responsible for all matters relating to membership;

vi.    Prepare and issue ‘Application for Membership’ forms and ‘Renewal of Membership’ forms for both Full and Associate membership;

vii.    Keep a Register of Members;

viii.    Market and sell CAGB merchandise.

d.   Treasurer. The Treasurer will:

i.    Be responsible for handling all moneys paid to or by the CAGB;

ii.    Maintain a set of accounts for the CAGB to be presented annually to the membership based on a 31 December year-end;

iii.    Submit accounts to be audited no later than 31 January each year;

iv.    Prepare a copy of the audited accounts and send it to the Editor, no later than 31 March each year, for publication in the News from the CAGB - E-newsletter or as an insertion to The Crow’s Nest.

e.    Event Co-ordinator. The Event Co-ordinator will:

i.    Be responsible for organising the CAGB gatherings, and any other meetings;

ii.    Prepare an ‘invitation’ to attend each gathering, which will include the programme for the day and other relevant information;

iii.    Submit a report of each gathering for publication in News from the CAGB or The Crow’s Nest.

f.    Webmaster. The Webmaster because of his/her particular skills may be co-opted to the Committee if not elected at the AGM. He/she will be responsible for maintaining and updating the CAGB website.

7.     Committee Meetings. The Committee shall meet at least two times each year to conduct the affairs of the CAGB. These meetings should either take place prior to or immediately after a Gathering, or as arranged by the Committee, who will decide the venue. Committee members should be prepared to attend all meetings. Four members of the Committee shall constitute a Quorum, one of whom shall be the Chairman/Vice-chairman. Minutes shall be taken at all meetings, by the Secretary or another in his/her absence, and be made available to all members of the CAGB on request.

8.     Annual General Meeting. The AGM will take place in November each year to elect the Committee for the following year. 14 days’ notice will be given of the agenda, date and time of the meetings to all members via email. At each AGM the Committee will report:

a.    On the previous year’s activities;

b.    Provide a financial report for the previous and current year;

c.    Conduct an election of Committee Members. Each Full Member shall have one vote for each Committee Member standing. Voting can be made by proxy or in writing if a member is unable to attend;

d.    Put forward any proposed amendments to this Constitution and/or any other properly notified business.

9.   Extraordinary General Meeting. An Extraordinary General Meeting (Hereafter referred to as the “EGM”) may be held at any time if deemed appropriate by the Committee. In addition, one-quarter of Full Members may petition the Committee to hold an EGM. In this event, the Committee will convene a meeting of Full Members within a 60-day period of the petition.

10.  Finances. All funds raised by or on behalf of the CAGB will be used to further the aims of the Association and for purposes set by grant providers. The Treasurer will keep a record of the finances of the CAGB and submit it for audit as referred to 6e(iii) above. The accounts, which are to be made up to 31 December of each year shall be presented at the AGM and a copy will be included or distributed with The Crow’s Nest or published in News from the CAGB. The CAGB will hold its funds in an approved bank account. This account will be in the name of the Association and two signatures will be required to authorise expenditure from the account. No individual will make any personal financial or material gain from the CAGB funds. Legitimate expenses only will be met.

11.  Honorary Officeholders A President and a maximum of four Vice-presidents may be appointed – they would not normally be members of the Committee. They may only be removed by resignation or at the request of the Committee. Their appointments will be based on their contribution to both the CAGB and study of the life and times of George Armstrong Custer, the U.S. Frontier Army and Plains Indian Wars.

12.  Publications. The CAGB will use its best endeavours to publish The Crow’s Nest annually on or before 25 June. The Editorial Team will consist of as many members as are required to ensure its publication but would normally include an Editor and a Copy Editor and Proofreader. The Editorial Policy will be directed by the Committee but in general articles published should be written by members of the CAGB or those from other authors (non-members) who have a particular expertise in the field of the CAGB studies.

13.  Amendments to the Constitution. This Constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by not less than one half of the members present and voting at a properly notified and quorate meeting. For this purpose, it will be at an AGM or EGM with at least 4 members of the Committee present.

14.  Dissolution. If the Committee and members consider that, on the grounds of finance or otherwise, it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the CAGB, an EGM will be called of all Full Members giving not less than 14 days’ notice, of the resolution to be considered. If such a decision is approved by a simple majority of those members present and voting, the CAGB will be dissolved. In this event, where possible, the assets of the CAGB will be sold or distributed to members if appropriate and any excess funds, after the payment of debts, will be donated as decided by the Committee to a Custer related organisation to further the CAGB aims.

Note:

Constitution originally ratified at the first AGM of the CAGB held on 12 November 2005.

At the 2006 AGM the posts of Secretary and Membership Secretary were merged - changes to the Constitution were ratified at the 2015 AGM.

A subsequent rewrite was undertaken in 2016 and this document reflects the changes and the annual membership being 1 January-31 December as approved at the 2015 AGM and the change to publishing ‘The Crow’s Nest’ annually from 2016. It also includes the Association’s adherence to the GDPR 2018 as implemented under The Data Protection Act 2018

LAST UPDATED 1 AUGUST 2022

  Custer Association of Great Britain

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