ROYAL AIR FORCE ADMINISTRATIVE APPRENTICES ASSOCIATION

Welcome to membership of the RAF Administrative Apprentices Association.  I hope that the following information will be helpful.  Please contact me with any questions you may have regarding membership of the Association.

FORMATION

The RAF Administrative Apprentices Association (RAF Admin App Assn) was founded in February 1998.  The idea of an Association for ex-Administrative Apprentices was considered in 1957 and again in 1960 but it was not until the 50th anniversary reunion of the 1st and 2nd Entries, in 1997, that positive action was taken.  Following an advert in the RAF News sufficient interest was generated to call an inaugural meeting at RAF Innsworth, where the Association was formed.

OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of the RAF Administrative Apprentice Association are to promote, foster and maintain a spirit of friendship and comradeship among members, enable them to keep in touch with each other, renew old and make new friendships.  Annual reunions, other social activities, regular newsletters and a published membership list, promote these activities.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the RAF Administrative Apprentice Association is open to the following persons:

• Full Member – all personnel who trained as Administrative Apprentices or as Ruislip Apprentice Clerks.
• Affiliated Member – staff of Administrative Apprentice training establishments (unless qualified as full members).
• Associate Member – any person who trained as an Apprentice or Boy Entrant, other than as an Administrative Apprentice.
• Friend of the Association Member – persons who actively support the Association but do not qualify for membership as full or affiliated members.
• Honorary Member – membership offered to widows of full members of the Association and which may be offered to other persons at the discretion of the Association Committee.

Membership of the Association as at August 2024 stands at 432.

MEMBERSHIP FEE

An annual membership fee is payable by Full, Associate and Affiliated members of the Association. The amount payable is set by the members at the Annual General Meeting and is payable on 1st January.  The fee is currently £10 per annum, payable at the time of joining the Association, but a one-off reduced rate of £5 is payable by those joining in the last six months of the year. Subsequent annual payments may be made to the Association Treasurer by cheque, cash or through the members’ bank by Standing Order or electronic bank transfer.  Please send your first membership fee to the Treasurer or contact him for the Association bank account details if you wish to pay the annual subscription by Standing Order or electronic bank transfer.  Please send your first membership fee to the Treasurer or contact him if you would like to pay the annual subscription by standing order.

On receipt of your membership application form, you will be sent a copy of the Articles of the Association. Once your subscription is received*, your membership will be confirmed and you will receive a full membership list, complete with contact details and access to the Associations Newsletters.

*Please note that membership fees must be received within 8 weeks of the acknowledgement of  your application for membership. Please see https://rafadappassn.org/membership-form/

Contact details are:  garryhoyland@btinternet.com or telephone 01430 410122.

MEMBERSHIP LIST

When first joining the Association, a membership list is issued to all new members on receipt of the first annual subscription by the Treasurer.  Thereafter, the list is updated through the Association’s quarterly newsletter.  If required an up-to-date list may be obtained at any time on request from the Association Membership Secretary either by email or by telephone.  There will be a small fee for the postal element of this service to cover printing and postage costs.

ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

The Association issues a quarterly Newsletter to all members in March, June, September and December.  The Newsletter is published on the Association Website, and its availability is notified to members by the Newsletter Editor, the Newsletter can then be easily downloaded from the website.   For members who do not have access to the internet, the Newsletter is sent by post direct from the printers.  The website edition of all newsletters is password protected with the latest password included with the email notification announcing the date of publication.  A list of passwords for all previous newsletters will be made available to new members on the Treasurer’s receipt of the initial membership fee.

All members of the Association are encouraged to submit articles including any photographic memories, for publication on the website and also in the newsletter.  Articles covering any subject from your Apprentice training days and beyond are always welcome.  Articles for publication on the website and in the newsletter can be submitted to the Association using the direct link below:

https://rafadappassn.org/submit-an-article/ 

Contact details for the Website Manager and the Newsletter Editor are:

administrator@rafadappassn.org               Telephone – 0033545 985074

newslettereditor@rafadappassn.org         Telephone – 01427 787582

ANNUAL REUNIONS

A Reunion is held each year in conjunction with the Association Annual General Meeting.  These reunions take place over a weekend in June and are currently held at the Northampton Marriott Hotel.  The last AGM and Reunion were held at the Hotel in June 2022 and the next is scheduled to be held there in June 2023.

 REGIONAL/FOCAL POINT REPRESENTATIVES

Regional/Focal Point Representatives have been appointed to cover several areas where members reside, although not all areas are, as yet, covered.  The function of the Regional/Focal Point Representative is to organise social and other activities for local members.  Full details of the present Regional Representatives and areas covered can be found on the Regional Group Coordinators page of the website and can be viewed at – www.rafadappassn.org/regional-groups-coordinators/

ASSOCIATION PROJECTS/MAJOR EVENTS

Since the RAF Administrative Apprentice Association was formed, a number of projects have been undertaken, either independently or in partnership with other Apprentice/Boy Entrant Associations. The earliest project, in 1998, was the laying and dedication of an Apprentice/Boy Entrant commemorative stone at St Clement Danes Church London.  The next event, also at St Clement Danes, was a service to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the introduction of Apprentice and Boy Entrant training into the RAF.  In 2005 the Association designed, commissioned and installed an RAF Administrative Apprentice and Ruislip Apprentice Clerk commemorative stained glass window at St George’s Church RAF Halton.  The next project was the creation of an Administrative Apprentice display in the RAF Bircham Newton Heritage Room in 2009.  This was followed by placing an RAF Administrative Apprentice commemorative memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum Alrewas in 2012.  Our current project, in celebration of 100 years of Apprentice training in the Royal Air Force, is the design and creation of an “Apprentice Commemorative Medal” and ribbon representing the hatband colours worn by all apprentices.  This medal can be worn on the left side beneath Service medals awarded.

THE ASSOCIATION WEB SITE

An RAF Administrative Apprentice Website outlining full details of the Association has been created and can be viewed at:

www.rafadappassn.org

ADMINISTRATIVE APPRENTICES’ ASSOCIATION ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

Article 1

The objectives of the Royal Air Force Administrative Apprentices’ Association (RAF Admin Apps’ Assn) shall be to promote and foster the friendship and esprit de corps of all members, together with the preservation of apprentice traditions and customs.

Article 2

Membership of the Association will be open to the following categories of personnel:
a. Member – all personnel who trained as Administrative Apprentices or as Ruislip Apprentice Clerks.
b. Affiliated Member – staff of Administrative Apprentice training establishments (other than above).
c. Associate Member – any person who trained as an Apprentice (other than Administrative Apprentice) or Boy Entrant who trained in the Clerical or Supply trades.
d. Friend of the Association Member – persons who actively support the Association, but who do not qualify for membership under 2a to 2c above.
e. Honorary Member – membership offered to widows of members of the Association, or otherwise offered to additional persons at the discretion of the Committee.
An annual, non-returnable, membership fee, due on 1st January, will be paid by members of the Association in categories 2a to 2d. The level of the fee will be recommended by the Committee and voted upon by members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). In the last month of each year and up to the beginning of March the following year, members will be reminded, through the medium of Newsletters and/or other means, as appropriate, of the requirement to pay their subscription. Members who fail to pay their annual subscription within 3 months of the due date, i.e., by 31st March, will be deemed to have ceased their membership of the RAF Administrative Apprentices’ Association, with effect from the due date of their subscription, i.e., 1st January, and no further Association correspondence or Newsletters will be sent to them.

Article 3

The Association will be administered by an elected Committee from category 2a members, comprising a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer (who will be known as the Officers of the Association) and a minimum of 6 other General Committee members.
b. The Association will have a President, who will be an Officer of the Association with the right to speak and vote at Committee and other meetings.

Article 4

Officers of the Association will be elected at the AGM, initially for a period of 1, 2, or 3 years and thereafter for 3-year periods. General committee members will be elected at the AGM for a period of 1 year. Duties of the elected committee members will be allocated by the Association Chairman and confirmed at the first committee meeting following the AGM. Officers and general committee members may stand for re-election to any number of 3 year or 1-year periods for which they may wish to serve – unless, previously, they have been formally removed from office, in which case they will be ineligible for re-appointment. The President will be elected to serve for life.

Article 5

Any Officer of the Association who fails to carry out his duties in a diligent and efficient manner, may – on the recommendation of the Association Committee – be dismissed from his position by the Association membership, at the next Annual General Meeting or, if called, at an Extraordinary General Meeting. Any general committee member failing to carry out his appointed duties in a competent and satisfactory manner may be removed from post by the Association Chairman, with the approval of the Association Committee. In the event of a vacancy arising within the Officers of the Association, the vacancy shall be filled by an existing member of the Committee at the next committee meeting, until the next AGM, when the temporary appointment will be confirmed, or a replacement Officer appointed from the Association membership. A vacancy arising within the general committee members may be filled by an existing committee member, or by an Association member who has volunteered to serve as such, in which case his appointment as a General Committee member is to be confirmed at the next AGM.

Article 6

The Committee shall meet, as required, to consider Agenda items and make decisions and recommendations, provided that a quorum (which requires a minimum of five members) is present. The Chairman, in consultation with the Secretary, may co-opt Association members to serve on the Committee in an advisory capacity, as and when required.

Article 7

Minutes of Committee meetings will be prepared by the Secretary and distributed in full to all Committee members. A summary of decisions taken at Committee meetings will be compiled by the Association Secretary and notified to all members of the Association, via the next Association Newsletter following the Committee meeting.

Article 8

Responsibility for the Association’s finances is vested in the Association Committee and administered by the Treasurer, via a bank account. Outgoing payments will be made by cheque, signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by, either, the President, Chairman, Secretary or Almoner, except when the payee is one of these. In this case, the cheque is to be signed by any two of the aforementioned Committee members, but not including the payee.

Article 9

The Association financial year shall run from 1st January to 31st December.

Article 10

A simple financial statement shall be prepared by the Treasurer and presented at each Committee meeting. A full financial statement is to be prepared and audited within 3 months of the close of the financial year and is to be circulated to the Association membership, prior to the AGM, for subsequent review and approval at that meeting.

Article 11

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held in June of each year and shall be conducted in accordance with RAF Administrative Apprentices’ Association Standing Orders for Annual and Extraordinary General meetings. The Minutes of an AGM will be circulated to all members of the Association. Resolutions and Agenda items for discussion at an AGM may be submitted by any member (in writing) to the Secretary, no later than six weeks prior to the date of the AGM

Article 12

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the Association may be called at the request of twenty paid-up members. The intention to call an EGM and the reason(s) for it must be notified in writing to the Secretary, in sufficient time for him to give fourteen days notice of the meeting to the membership. No business other than that which is the reason for the EGM will be considered. The meeting will be conducted in accordance with the RAF Administrative Apprentices’ Association Standing Orders for Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings. The Minutes of an EGM will be circulated to all members of the Association.

Article 13

In the event of the RAF Administrative Apprentices’ Association ceasing to exist, all finances – with the exception of any funds required to set-up and/or maintain a post-closure archival website, or similar, in commemoration of the Association, shall be donated to a charity, or charities, nominated by members at a Winding-up Meeting.

Article 14

The Headquarters of the Royal Air Force Apprentices’ Association shall be the address of the Secretary in office.

Article 15

None of the foregoing Articles of Association shall be revoked, or amended, except by a majority of members present at an AGM or EGM.

AMENDED AT REMOTE AGM 10TH JULY 2021

STANDING ORDERS FOR ANNUAL AND EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS

1.    Business Before the Meeting

        The meeting will proceed in accordance with the Agenda before it.

2.    Voting Procedure

a.   Only Members in attendance will be entitled to vote at Annual and Extraordinary  meetings.

b.   Under no circumstances will proxy votes be permitted.

3.    Casting Vote

In all cases where an equality of votes exists, the Chairman of the meeting may use a ‘Casting Vote’.

4.     Resolutions and Amendments

a.   Providing there is a Seconder in favour of a resolution, the person presenting it will speak first and present the case.   Thereafter, relevant views may be put forward, but no one person may speak more than once, except that the person who presented the case shall have the right to reply,  before any resolution is put to the vote.   However, the Chairman may call upon any individual who has already spoken if, in the opinion of that Chairman, further constructive and relevant information should be sought.

b.(i)   In the event of there being an amendment to a resolution, the amendment will be voted on first.

    (ii)  There should never be more than one amendment against a resolution.

    (iii) If more than one amendment is put forward, the last amendment submitted will be the subject of a vote, together with the amendment presented immediately prior to it.   This principle must apply until one amendment only remains to be voted upon and against the original resolution.

c.   All resolutions and amendments must be proposed and seconded by a member from those attending the meeting.   Any resolution or amendment not proposed and seconded will not be debated.

d.   A resolution, or amendment to a resolution, will be deemed to be carried only if it secures more than half the possible number of votes (a simple majority) of members present at the meeting, except for resolutions of a financial nature, which will require a two-thirds majority vote.

5.   Selection of Speakers

Comments and remarks must at all times be addressed to the ‘Chair’.   When more than one person signifies a wish to speak, the first to signify will be given precedence, this decision resting with the Chairman.   However, the person who signified immediately after the first spokesperson shall have the right to speak, at the close of the previous speaker’s address – again, with the decision resting with the Chairman.

6.   Scrutineers

a.   Scrutineers shall be appointed, from the members attending, before any voting takes place.   Their duties are to count the number of votes and inform the Chairman accordingly.

b.   Voting will be accomplished by a show of hands.                               

AMENDED AT REMOTE AGM 10 JULY 2021