AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATION OF von HUMBOLDT FELLOWS

CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE
1
The Association shall be called the
"Australian Association of von Humboldt Fellows (AAvHF)".
ARTICLE 2 OBJECTIVES
The objects of the Association shall be:
(a) To further the objects of the Alexander
von Humboldt Stiftung (the "Foundation")
by
(i) disseminating
information about the Foundation in tertiary institutions and other
institutions of higher education and research and to all persons engaged in
scholarly or scientific activities in Australia in order to ensure the widest
possible knowledge of the work of the Foundation and
(ii) supplying the
Foundation with information on research and other scholarly work in
(b) To reciprocate the Foundation's generous
assistance to Australian scholars and researchers by
(i) promoting and
supporting postdoctoral scholars and researchers from the Federal Republic of
Germany who wish to undertake research and/or establish or maintain scholarly
contacts in Australia and
(ii) enlisting the financial support of
Government and other public institutions in order to establish a fund to
provide assistance for scholars from the Federal Republic of Germany who intend
to undertake post doctoral research in Australia, and
(c) To encourage and support all forms of
scholarly exchange between the Federal Republic of Germany and
(d) To provide a means of contact amongst
Fellows in
ARTICLE 3 MEMBERSHIP
(a) Membership shall be open to any
Australian resident who is, or has been at any time, an Alexander von Humboldt
Fellow.
(b) Membership shall be established and
maintained by payment of an annual subscription, the amount of which shall be
determined by the Executive Committee from time to time. Such annual
subscriptions shall be paid for the period from 1 January to 31 December each
year. Membership will lapse where payment of the current annual subscription
has not been made by 31 March in any one year.
(c) Members shall have the right to vote
under, and shall be bound by, this Constitution.
(d) An Australian resident who supports the
objectives of this Association may be nominated for Associate Membership with
acceptance resting on a simple majority decision of the Committee.
(e) Associate Members shall have the same
rights and obligations as Members except in that they shall not vote on matters
under this Constitution.
ARTICLE 4 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
(a) The Executive Committee (the
"Committee") shall consist of twelve members, including at least one
from each State and one from the
(b) Only members of the Association are
eligible to be elected to the Committee.
(c) The Committee shall be elected at the
General Meeting of the Association in accordance with the procedures laid down
in Article 5 (c) (i) and shall hold office for the
two calendar years, beginning the first of January immediately following the
election. Committee members may stand for re election.
(d) From the members of the Committee, there
shall be a further election in accordance with the procedures laid down in
Article 5 (c) (i) of a President, VicePresident,
Secretary and Treasurer, to hold office for the term of the Committee.
(e) (i) The
Committee shall carry out the wishes of members pursuant to resolutions passed
at the General, or other, Meeting in accordance with the procedure laid down in
Article 5 (c), and use its best endeavours in the
interests of all members to fulfill the objectives of the Association.
(ii) The President shall submit a biennial
report and the Treasurer a financial statement (Article 6 (d)) to the General
Meeting for adoption and subsequent distribution to all members.
(f) The Committee shall have the power to
appoint sub committees of members, including, but not confined to, members of
the Committee, to carry out any of the purposes contained in Article 4 (e) (i).
(g) In the event that the Office of President
shall become vacant during a term the VicePresident
shall succeed to the Presidency. In the event that any other office shall
become vacant during a term, the Committee shall appoint a member to fill that
vacancy.
ARTICLE 5 MEETINGS AND VOTING
(a) A General Meeting shall be held every two
years. At least ninety days' notice of the date and location of the Meeting
shall be given to all members by the Secretary. Such notice shall be
accompanied by a draft biennial report and financial statement.
(b) A special Meeting shall be held upon the
receipt by the Secretary of a written request signed by ten or more members.
Such request shall state the purpose of the meeting. Upon receipt of such
request, the Secretary shall call the meeting, giving at least sixty days'
notice of its date and location.
(c) (i) Except for the purposes of amending this Constitution
(Article 5 (c) (ii)), a resolution shall be passed by simple majority of those
voting. Each member is entitled to only one vote but a proxy to vote and/or
move a motion may be given in writing by any member to any other member who is
in attendance at the meeting.
(ii) Any amendment to this Constitution shall
be passed only if approved by more than half the number of all members.
ARTICLE 6 FINANCE
(a) A bank account shall be kept in the name
of the Association and all monies received on behalf of the Association shall
be deposited to that account.
(b) Cheques drawn
on the Association account shall be signed by the Treasurer and any other
member of the Committee.
(c) The Committee shall appoint auditors to
audit the annual accounts of the Association.
(d) A biennial financial statement containing
the audited annual accounts shall be prepared by the Treasurer.
(e) The assets of the Association shall be
applied solely towards the promotion of the objectives of the Association and
no part of the assets shall be paid directly or indirectly by way of dividend
bonus or otherwise to any member, or relative of a member, provided that
nothing contained herein shall prevent payment to any member in respect of
monies advanced by such member on behalf of or for the purposes of the
Association or otherwise owing to such member by the Association, or for
reimbursement of expenses incurred by such member on behalf of or for the
purposes of the Association.
(f) Members of the Committee shall not be
held personally liable for any acts performed by them in good faith on behalf
of the Association.
(g) If upon windingup
or dissolution of the Association, there remains, after satisfaction of all its
debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall not be paid or
distributed among members of the Association, but shall be distributed to
another body or bodies having similar objects or to such charitable body or
bodies which prohibit the distribution of income and property to members.
Ú
Drafted in 1984, items 3 (d), 3(e) and 6(g) added in 1989 by a
written vote of a majority of the members.
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