Ranges Chess Club
Our rules
Registered copy, downloaded 1 November 2026
Ranges Chess Club Inc. is an incorporated association. Our rules are the Victorian model rules, registered with Consumer Affairs Victoria under number A0047310W. They are the club’s constitution, and members and anyone applying to join can read them free of charge.
The parts people ask about
A plain summary, with the rule numbers so you can find them in the PDF. This is a guide, not a substitute for reading the thing.
- Joining
- You apply in writing, saying you want to join, that you support the club’s purposes and that you agree to follow the rules. You become a member once the committee approves your application and you have paid. Rules 9 and 11.
- Who can join
- Anyone who supports the purposes of the club. Rule 8.
- Members under 15
- Automatically associate members. They join in with everything, but they don’t vote at general meetings. Rule 14.
- Fees
- The annual general meeting decides how the subscription is set for the following year, and when it is payable. If a subscription is unpaid past its due date, that member’s rights, including voting, are suspended until it is paid. Rule 12.
- Leaving
- You can resign in writing at any time. If a subscription falls more than 12 months behind, membership is treated as having been resigned. Rules 16 and 17.
- The annual general meeting
- Held within five months of the end of the financial year, which runs to 30 June. Members get at least 14 days’ notice, or 21 days if a special resolution is proposed. A quorum is 10% of the members who can vote, and you can appoint another member as your proxy. Rules 3, 30, 33, 34 and 36.
- If you fall out with someone
- There is a written grievance procedure. The parties try to sort it out themselves first, then with a mediator. There is also a disciplinary procedure, with notice, a hearing and a right of appeal, for conduct that harms the club. Rules 19 to 29.
- The money
- The club is not for profit. No surplus, income or asset goes to a member, beyond repaying expenses they have properly incurred. Rules 6 and 68.
- Changing the rules
- Only by special resolution at a general meeting, which needs three quarters of those voting, and only once the Registrar approves it. Rule 77.
A gap we know about
Rule 2, Purposes, is blank in the registered copy. Several other rules point at it, so the committee intends to fill it by special resolution. It cannot be done at short notice: it needs 21 days’ notice and the Registrar’s approval.
Asking for a copy
You do not have to use this page. Members and applicants can ask the committee for the rules and get them free of charge, which is itself a rule. Email the secretary at rangeschessclub@gmail.com.
Anyone can also buy a copy, or an extract of the club’s registration, from Consumer Affairs Victoria.