CONSTITUTION

1. DEFINITION OF THE "WESTERN REGION"

As determined by the PSSA, the following towns/cities resort within the boundaries of the "Western Region". Only the PSSA might redefine the boundaries of this region whenever the need for change exists.

Active Photographic Clubs within this Region will automatically be accepted to partake in events of the "Western Region". Clubs resorting in the "Western Region" are expected to partake willingly.

It is hereby also expected from the partaking clubs to abide by this constitution and its rules.

2. AIMS

The object of the Western Region Photographic Clubs is to include all activities tending towards the refinement and upliftment of the community, spiritually, mentally and physically and in particular the following functions:

2.1 By means of lectures, demonstrations, competitions, exhibitions, social functions and other effective methods to cultivate an appreciation of the aim and interest in photography, and to further the hobby of photography in all its branches, developments and processes.

2.2 To plan and hold an annual Western Region Photographic Competition.
See the "Rules of the Western Region Photographic Competition" amongst the partaking clubs of the "Western Region". The Competition might take the form of a Regional or Mini – Congress where the Photographic Competition forms the highlight of the day.

2.3 The hosts of the annual Photographic Competition or Mini Congress will be from within the "Western Region" and will alternate amongst the active Photographic Clubs as determined on the Annual General Meeting of the Western Region.

2.4 The annual General Meeting must form part of the day of the annual Western Region Photographic Competition and it is the responsibility of the hosting club’s chairman to chair this meeting.

2.5 To plan and hold an annual Western Region Photographic Rally when required.

2.6 To hold regular meetings and an annual Exhibition when needed in order to encourage active participation in the creation of photography as a branch of art and to induce progressive raising of its standards and achievements

2.7 To encourage and support private persons and public bodies with similar objectives.

2.8 To publicize the aims and activities of the Western Region Photographic Clubs

2.9 To affiliate and co-operate with member Societies.

3. MEMBERSHIP

3.1 Membership of any of the photographic clubs or societies within the defined "Western Region", affiliated to the Photographic Society of South Africa will automatically entitle membership of the Western Region Photographic Clubs.

3.2 The point 3.1 above will also apply in the case of newly formed photographic clubs or societies already in the geographical boundaries of the "Western Region".

3.3 Wherever the word ‘member’ appears in this Constitution it shall mean a member in good standing.

4. SUBSCRIPTIONS & SECTIONS

No subscription fee is payable.

5. COMMITTEE

5.1 Each Committee shall consist of the Regional Director, Chairman and Secretary of the host club, as well as a minimum of 4 (four) "Western Region" clubs, represented by at least two representatives per participating club (chairman and one committee member for each participating club or society).

5.2 The Committee may at any subsequent meeting co-opt any additional members if deemed necessary.

5.3 The Secretary of the host club shall keep the minutes of each Committee Meeting and deal with correspondence and distribution thereof to all participating club of the "Western Region".

5.4 The decisions of the Committee shall be final.

5.5 In the case of a dispute a majority vote shall apply.

5.6 The Chairman and Secretary will be rotated on an annual basis with each club or society having a term of office.

6. VOTING

Each member shall have 1 (one) vote, the chairman of the host club having an additional casting vote at General Meetings, Special General Meetings and Annual General Meetings.

7. MEETINGS

7.1 Annual General Meetings shall be held on the Saturday of the second weekend in September of each year and shall be presided over by the Regional Director and Chairmen of the participating Western Region Photographic Clubs.

7.2 The Committee may hold a General Meeting as and when deemed necessary.

7.3 A Special General Meeting of the "Western Region" may be held upon written request by any five participating and active photographic clubs of the "Western Region", after 14 (fourteen) days written notice shall have been given to the respective Chairman taking into consideration the provisions of Clause 12.1 hereof.

7.4 Committee meetings shall be held when deemed necessary.

 8. QUORUM

8.1 The current Quorum at Annual General Meetings and Special General Meetings shall be 8 (eight) members [4 (Four) clubs or societies].

8.2 The Quorum at Committee Meetings shall be 4 (four) members [2 (two) clubs or societies].

8.3 In the event of the members present not constituting a quorum, the meeting shall take place with no decisive power. The meeting will then be adjourned until a date could be found to suit a quorum of clubs to be present (before the second weekend of the month of October) to confirm and decide upon suggestions from the "interim" meeting. If no suitable date can be found the meeting could take the form of communication through e-mail or a telephone conference to get decisions on undecided matters.

9. AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION

Amendments to the Constitution shall be adopted if passed at an Annual General Meeting by a majority of two-thirds of the members present. A special notice of any proposed amendments shall be posted or e-mailed to all members at least 2 (two) weeks before the meeting. In the event of members present not constituting a quorum, the steps in 8.3 may be applied. At such adjourned or "alternative" meeting the proposed amendments shall be adopted if passed by a majority of two-thirds of the members present whether or not they constitute a quorum. A member or members wishing to propose any amendment to the Constitution shall give notice to the Committee by not later than 1 August of the year in which the Annual General Meeting will be held.

10. DOMICILIUM

The Society's domicilium citandi et executandi shall be at the facilities determined by the host club in conjunction with the decisions taken at the Annual General Meeting.

11. FINANCES AND FINANCIAL YEAR

No funds will be kept by the "Western Region" since the member societies hold their own funds and are self-supporting.

LIQUIDATION AND DISSOLUTION

12.1 Since the "Western Region" is defined by the PSSA the "Regional" Committee may not decide upon dissolution.

12.2 A Special General Meeting, including at least two directors of the PSSA and the Regional Director, may be called for the purposes of the dissolution of the "Western Region".

12.3 Special Notice of the proposed dissolution shall be served on all members by pre-paid registered post at least 14 (fourteen) days before the holding of the intended Special General Meeting, with this proviso however, that 3 (three) clubs may request a Special General Meeting to be held for this purpose.

12.3 At least two-thirds of the members present at such meeting must be in favour of the dissolution.

12.4 Upon dissolution the assets of the "Western Region" shall be realized in terms of the liquidation resolution and the total funds, if any, shall be paid to The Photographic Society of South Africa.

Current Club Status in the Western Region

RULES

PSSA rules and definitions apply to this competition. The following rules are specific to this competition and are not intended to alter, violate or nullify the PSSA rules:

Only photographic slides, prints or digital images, entered by club members for club judging, between the dates of 1 July of the previous year and 30 June of the current year, will be accepted for the competition.
 

DEFINITION:

A guideline from PSSA is that a person who has progressed, for instance in the slide section, up to 5-star and decides to start entering prints, should be considered as a 4-star print worker. Such a person is not a beginner in photography and it would only be fair to the photographer (him or herself) as well as potential beginners or junior photographers, to rate that person as a 4-star worker.

A Junior photographer is a 1* - 3* worker in prints, slides or digital images, with the reservation that he or she has not progressed in the other medium to 5* or has achieved photographic honours (e.g. LPSSA, APSSA, etc) in any other medium.
 

Rules for digital entries: 

The file name must be in 4 groups. The first group represents the title truncated to a maximum of 24 characters (e.g. blue heron at dawn). The second group must show the club (e.g. rtb, vdp, vps, kdp, kcc, wrd, pot) and the third group must show the author’s name truncated to a maximum of 18 characters (e.g. johannes vd merwe). The fourth group must indicate the author’s rating (jnr for junior or snr for senior). Only figures and small letters, and the dash (-) that separates the various groups may be used in the filename. 

AWARDS

The following acknowledgements are to be done at the end of the event:

The Club winning the competition will receive the Western Regions Trophy which will be kept by the club till the next Western Region Photographic Competition, where it will be handed back to the chairman of the next General Meeting.