This page contains information for medical professionals.
It provides the constitution of a membership assocation formally incorporated in June 2005.
For all academic and Association enquiries, please email Dr Rurth Bradwell
For medical advice contact your family doctor.
This Association shall be known as The Homocysteine Association of Australasia Incorporated.
The purpose of the Association is to advance medicine, science, and education generally. Without limiting the purpose of the Association, the Association shall be empowered to:
1. Fund and provide education about homocysteine for medical practitioners and other health professionals.
2. Fund and provide education about homocysteine for secondary school students and tertiary students.
3. Fund research that relates to homocysteine.
4. Establish conferences for medical, scientific and education professionals and fund (in full or in part) the attendance of members at conferences.
5. Maintain a website that provides information on homocysteine and related matters.
6. Publish information on homocysteine or support the publications of other organisations with similar purposes.
7. Distribute information by email to those who request it through the Association’s website or otherwise in writing.
8. Provide post-graduate scholarships and support for students.
9. Fund educational and scientific research.
Prospective members shall be nominated by two existing members and approved by the Executive. Prospective members shall pay any membership fee that may be prescribed by the Association from time-to-time. For the purpose of becoming a member of the Association, an application established by email shall be satisfactory provided the Secretary is satisfied as to the authenticity of such emails.
In addition to the Members as set out in other provisions in these Rules, the Executive may from time-to-time establish classes of association with the Association to reflect the situation of those who wish to be involved with the Association but who will not be Members. Classes may include Student Associates, Subscribing Associates, and Associates. The Associates will be charged an annual fee and the Executive may promulgate rules that relate to the rights and responsibilities of Associates in different classes. Associates cease to be Associates when they fail to pay any fee set by the Executive or when the Executive removes them from Association.
Members of the Association shall be entitled to use in connection with their name the letters MHAA which stands for Member of the Homocysteine Association of Australasia. Associate members, shall be able to use in connection with their name the letters AMHAA which stands for Associate Member of the Homocysteine Association of Australasia.
All Members shall pay the same level of fee and this shall be set by the Annual General Meeting each year.
Any Member may resign from the Association by sending a letter of resignation to the Secretary of the Association. Any member who does not pay any Membership Fee determined at an Annual General Meeting shall, after one year of being in arrears, have their Membership terminated by the Executive. The Executive shall, be able to decline an application for membership, or terminate a person’s Membership, if the Executive believes that the applicant or Member is now not a suitable person to have in an Association with the purposes as stated in these Rules and which must maintain credibility with the medical professional and educational bodies. There shall be no right of appeal within the Association for any decision of the Executive to deny or terminate a Membership.
Any Rules proposed for alternation must be notified to all members one month in advance of an Annual General Meeting. The Alternation of Rules shall be carried by a three-quarters majority of those present and voting at an Annual General Meeting.
The Association shall have an Annual General meeting in the month of July or August each year. The Association shall have Extraordinary Meetings and Executive Meetings in accordance with these Rules. The quorum for Annual General and Extraordinary meetings shall be seven people.
The Executive shall in January or February each year set the date, venue and time of the Annual General Meeting for that year and notify all members accordingly. Notification shall be deemed to have been received if the Secretary has used his/her best endeavours to notify members by email.
The President and Treasurer shall move the acceptance of their reports on the year’s activity at each Annual General Meeting, and there shall be an opportunity for Members to raise issues or suggestions in General Business. The President’s report shall be a summary of the activities of the previous year and contain suggestions for the next year. Any auditor required shall be appointed at an Annual General Meeting and audit reports shall be tabled at Annual General Meetings.
The Executive shall call any Extraordinary Meetings that they deem necessary for the advancement of the Association or its Purposes. The Secretary shall provide all members with notification of Extraordinary Meetings two clear months in advance of the date proposed for the meeting. Notification shall be deemed to have been received if the Secretary has used his/her best endeavours to notify members by email.
Executive Meetings may be established by meetings in person or by a telephone conference.
At all meetings decisions shall be made for the Association on the basis of motions moved and seconded, and carried by a simple majority of those present and voting. All Members shall have the same voting rights when they attend a meeting. Only those appointed to the Executive may vote at Executive Meetings. There shall be no provision for proxy voting at any meetings.
The Association shall have the following Officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Appointment of the Officers Officers of the Association shall be appointed each year at the Annual General Meeting. Appointment of Officers shall be by simple majority of vote of those present and voting. Executive Members The Officers shall be members of the Executive of the Association. In addition, ordinary members of the Association may be appointed Executive Members at an Annual General Meeting. However, the total number of Executive Members, including Officers of the Association, shall not exceed 8.
The Executive shall manage the day-by-day affairs of the Association in accordance with these rules and any resolutions made at Annual General or Extraordinary Meetings of the Association. The Executive shall be responsible for the satisfaction of legal requirements associated with incorporation. The Executive shall have full powers to make decisions and act for the Association in accordance with these rules.
In the event that a commercial organisation agrees to sponsor some aspect of the Association’s work, there is no implied endorsement of the products or services of the sponsoring organisation. The Association may acknowledge the sponsor and make facilities available to the sponsor, but the Association may not make any statements about the products or services of the sponsor.
The Secretary of the Association shall keep the Common Seal. The Common Seal shall have on it the words “Common Seal of The Homocystine Association of Australasia”. Any Member of the Executive is authorised to apply the Common Seal to appropriate documents.
The Treasurer shall hold all the Association’s money. No other Member of the Association may mange the Association’s money. The Treasure shall operate bank accounts with registered banks in accordance with decisions made by Meetings of the Association (including meetings of the Executive). The Treasurer is authorised to pay the bills and accounts of the Association without recourse to the Executive and is authorised to sign cheques drawing on funds that the Association has available. The Association may invest surplus funds in accordance with decisions made at an Annual General Meeting. The Treasurer will provide a full report and any necessary audit report to each Annual General Meeting.
The financial year of the Association shall be set at an Annual General Meeting.
The Association shall not borrow money. The Association may not have a negative balance in any bank account.
These Rules shall be available to Members by email and may be placed on the Association’s website.
By simple majority vote at an Annual General Meeting, and upon three months notice in advance being given to all Members by the Secretary, the Association may be disestablished. Upon the carrying of a disestablishment motion, the Secretary at the time the motion was carried shall notify all appropriate authorities and agencies of the disestablishment of the Association. The Treasurer at the time the motion is carried shall forward as a gift the balance of any funds or assets of the Association to any incorporated New Zealand or Australian organisation that seeks to advance a medical cause that involves homocysteine as selected by the Treasurer.