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CONSTITUTION OF

The Lighthouse Club, Hong Kong Branch

Chapter 1    General Stipulations
1. The name of the organisation (which is referred to below as "the Association") shall be The Lighthouse Club, Hong Kong Branch.
2. The address of the Association shall be c/o Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, 9th floor, Island House, 1 Great George Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
3. The objectives of the Association, which is a non-political organisation, shall be:
  (i) To ensure good fellowship among members and co-operation in every respect and wherever possible.
  (ii) To form a Benevolent Fund which shall be devoted to people within the Building and Civil Engineering Industry. (Cases eligible for assistance shall in include Hardship through Accident or Illness, Widows and Orphans).
  (iii) To hold at least one Branch Dinner every year.
  (iv) To provide, wherever possible, amenities at Exhibitions.
     
Chapter 2    Membership.
4. Ordinary Membership
  Ordinary Membership shall be open to persons who are connected with the construction industry. Members of the Association who became members prior to the Annual General Meeting of the Association in May 1993 shall be Ordinary Members with effect from the conclusion of such Annual General Meeting.
     
5. Associate Membership
  Associate Membership shall be available to a limited number of non-trade persons to be admitted at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
     
6. Life Membership
  Life Membership of the Association shall be available to Ordinary Members who have been members of the Association for a period of 5 years or more.
     
7 Honorary Life Membership
  The Executive Committee may in its discretion grant Life Membership to any member.
     
8 Corporate Membership
  Corporate Membership shall be available to corporate bodies who are connected with the construction industry.
     
9 Membership Cards
  Every member shall be furnished with a card of membership, which shall specify the class of membership. In the case of a Corporate Member, up to 5 membership cards will be issued, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, each one to an individual nominated by the Corporate Member. Membership cards must be produced to any Executive Committee Member whenever required.
     
10. Conduct Prejudicial to the Association
  Any member whose conduct is prejudicial to the interests of the Association shall be called before the Executive Committee for explanation. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to expel any member who has engaged in such conduct, by a majority vote.
     
11. Applications for Membership
  In applying for membership, an applicant shall submit to the Association a completed application form. The applicant shall become a member when the application is approved by the Executive Committee and the prescribed fees are paid.
     
12. Rights of Ordinary, Life and Honorary Life Members:
  (a) To elect, be elected, propose, vote and recall.
  (b) To enjoy the benefits as set forth in Article 3 of this Constitution.
     
13. Rights of Associate and Corporate Members:
  (a) To enjoy as far as possible the benefits set forth in Article 3 of this Constitution.
     
14. Obligations of each Member
  (a) To abide by the Constitution of the Association and the resolutions passed by the General and Extraordinary General Meetings.
  (b) To pay the prescribed annual subscription by the prescribed date for his/her class of membership as fixed from time to time by the Executive Committee.
     
Chapter 3   Organisation, Function and Powers
15. The supreme authority of the Association shall be vested in the General Meeting, during the recess of which the Executive Committee shall be the executive organ.
     
16. The Executive Committee shall be formed by 10 Executive Committee Members who shall be elected by the Annual General meeting each year. The Executive Committee shall comprise a Chairman, a Deputy Chairman a Secretary, a Treasurer, and 6 other members. The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt additional members as may be necessary.
     
17. All the Executive Committee Members of the Executive Committee shall serve gratis. Their term of office shall be one year and they may be re-elected. The Executive Committee Members shall not become salaried staff of the Association, nor shall they receive from it any remuneration.
     
18. If any Executive Committee member vacates his office, he shall be replaced by one co-opted from the members until the next Annual General Meeting.
     
19. If necessary, the Association may take on employees, whose employment, discharge, and salaries shall be decided by the Executive Committee.
     
20. Functions and Power of the General Meeting:
  (a) To make amendments to the Constitution of the Association.
  (b) To elect Executive Committee Members.
  (c) To consider and adopt the progress and financial reports to the Association.
  (d) To decide on any innovation which the Association may require and on the recall of derelict office bearers.
     
21. Functions and Power of the Executive Committee
  (a) To implement the resolutions passed by the General and Extraordinary General Meetings.
  (b) To prepare the budget.
  (c) To attend to the daily affairs of the Association.
  (d) To decide on the employment, discharge and salaries of the Employees.
  (e) To make recommendations to the General Meeting.
  (f) To fix membership fees and annual subscriptions.
     
22. Functions and Powers of particular Executive Committee Officers:
  (a) The Chairman shall represent the Association, direct the various officers of the Executive Committee in their work, take overall charge of the work of the Association and preside over all their meetings.
  (b) The Secretary shall attend to all the secretarial work, keep the seals and documents under safe custody, compile the agenda and record the minutes of meetings.
  (c) The Treasurer shall take charge of the financial matters of the Association. He shall compile the accounts and shall keep the Executive Committee Members advised of the financial status of the Association at the regular monthly meetings. He shall also compile the annual statement of accounts which shall be submitted to the Auditor for Audit before the General meeting to which it shall be presented for adoption. Funds of the Association shall be deposited with a bank or banks or such other financial institutions as shall be designated by the Executive Committee. Valid cheques of the Association shall be signed jointly by the Treasurer and one other Executive Committee Member. Limits of expenditure shall be subject to the control of the Executive Committee.
 
  (d) The Auditor, who shall be appointed by the Annual General Meeting, shall audit all the accounts of the Association.
     
Chapter 4   Meetings
23. (a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held annually not later than the final week in May in each year and it shall be convened by the Secretary or the Chairman. Members of the Association shall be notified of the meeting 28 days in advance in writing by post. As such Annual General Meeting, a quorum shall be constituted by 25 members of 25% of all members, whichever shall be the smaller number. (For the purpose. member means member of any class other than Associate or Corporate Members.) In the absence of a quorum, the meeting shall be adjourned and be convened again within seven days. For this adjourned meeting, members of the Association shall be notified of the meeting at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. At this adjourned meeting, any number of members present shall constitute a quorum.
  (b) If necessary, an Extraordinary General Meeting may be held upon the request of either more than one half of the Executive Committee members or more than one-quarter of the members of the Association who shall submit such a request in written form, bearing their signatures, to the Chairman. Upon receiving such a request, the Chairman shall cause the meeting to be held within 15 days. However, discussions held and resolutions passed at the meeting shall be confined to those points listed in the request. The regulations as to notice of the meeting .and the number of members who will constitute a quorum shall be the same as is the case for the Annual General Meeting under Article 23(a).
  (c) The Executive Committee shall hold a regular meeting once a month and extraordinary meetings of the Executive Committee may be held whenever the Chairman deems it necessary. Members of the Executive Committee shall the notified of any meeting of the Executive Committee seven days in advance in writing. The number of members of the Executive Committee required to constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Executive Committee shall be five or one-half of the members for the time being of the Executive Committee, whichever is the smaller number.
  (d) Motions at all meetings shall be carried by the approval of over half of those present. If a tie occurs in voting, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
  (e) If the Chairman is absent from a meeting, those Executive Committee Members present shall elect among themselves a temporary chairman to preside over the meeting.
     
Chapter 5   Election
24. (a) The Executive Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting by a majority vote of those members present.
  (b) After the election of Executive Committee Members, the outgoing Committee shall dissolve immediately and the outgoing office bearers shall hand over their duties within seven days. A list of the new office bearers shall be submitted to the Societies Officer for information.
     
Chapter 6   Awards and Penalties
25. The Executive Committee may, subject to the approval of the General Meeting, present letters of commendation to those who have offered meritorious services to the Association.
     
26. Without prejudice to the generality of Article 10 above members who commit one-of the following acts may be warned or expelled from the Association by the Executive Committee:
  (a) Infringement of the Constitution or of any resolution passed by the General or Extraordinary General Meeting.
  (b) Violation of the Hong Kong criminal law, for which the member is convicted.
  (c) Use of the name of the Association in unlawful acts, thereby impairing its reputation.
  (d) Failure to pay the annual subscription within a reasonable time after payment has been formally demanded.
     
27. Fees already paid or donations made by members who withdraw voluntarily or are expelled by the Association shall not be recoverable. If the members concerned are office bearers, they shall have their offices forfeited automatically.
     
Chapter 7   Use of Funds
28. Funds of the Association shall be applied solely to recurrent expenditure and for the enterprises stipulated in Article 3 of this Constitution and shall not be used for any other purpose.
     
Chapter 8   Debts and Liabilities
29. Any debts of the Association shall be borne by all the Executive Committee Members of the Association for the year in which the debts are incurred.
     
Chapter 9   Supplementary
30. The dissolution of the Association may be resolved upon only by a General or Extraordinary General Meeting and, in order to take effect, must be assented to by over half of the members of the Association. Any remaining assets of the Association upon its dissolution shall be donated to local charitable organisations.
     
31. This Constitution may be amended only by a resolution of a General or Extraordinary General Meeting.
     
Original (1986) Constitution, updated to incorporate amendments adopted by the Annual General Meetings on 28 May, 1993, 24 May, 1996 and 25 May, 2000.