Section Meeting Dates -

[willie reynolds]

At the NIPA Committee meeting on Monday evening it was decided that Sect Meetings would be held in each of the NIPA 8 Sections to explain the details of the case won by Titanic HPS at the RPRA Council Meeting last weekend. It will also be the opportunity for member clubs to complete a form required by the RPRA listing certain details including contact names/address of officials, club delegates, address of the club HQ and that of the various marking stations and collection points with a contact phone/email etc. It is necessary for all clubs to be represented these forms have to be returned prior to racing. The Sect B Meeting will be held in Ballymena on Monday 19th March at 8.00pm. Before that Sect D in Lisburn 12th March, Sect E in Lurgan Soc 14th March, Sect G 15th March in Newry and Sect C 21st March. Section H meeting will take place on Sunday 18th March at 3.00pm in the Railway Musuem. Ken Wilkinson Chairman Nipa and Fred Russell Secretary Nipa will be in attendance. Please ensure that 2 Delegates from each club attend. The next NIPA meeting will take place in Dromore on Tuesday 13th March at 7.30pm. I will publish the complete list of meetings when all have been arranged.

Minutes of the meeting of the Council of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association held in the Novotel Hotel, Long Eaton, Nottingham on Thursday 22nd February at 5.00pm to hear appeals.

Present – Messrs L Blacklock (Chairman), K Bount, J Gladwin, R Harris, D Headon, J Hooper, G Field, G Field, J Waters, and R Shirley.

Appeal 1 – Titanic HPS v Irish Region, rehearing of the decision by the NIPA. It was the decision of the Appeals Committee that the Appeal be allowed on the grounds that the NIPA did not comply with RPRA Rules 168/169. Steve Richards.

Note: Grievances and Disciplinary Matters

Rule 168. If any member of an organisation has a grievance, dispute or complaint concerning the Organisation he may within 28 days of the grievance, dispute or complaint arising give notice in writing of his grievance, dispute or complaint to the secretary of the Organisation, requiring the secretary to convene a general meeting or if the rules of the Organisation so prescribe, a meeting of the Committee of the Organisation to consider the grievance, dispute or complaint. Any such meeting shall be convened by the secretary by not less that 7 days notice in writing to all members entitled to attend such meeting and to all parties to grievance, dispute of complaint.

Rule 169. If any organisation wishes to examine the condust of a member with a view to taking disciplinary action against him/her under the provisions of Rule 70, a meeting must be convened within 28 days of the dispute arising, the secretary of the Organisation shall convene a general meeting of the Organisation or, if the Rules of the Organisation so prescribe, the committee of the Organisation for that purpose and shall give not less than 7 days notice in writing to the member and to all members of the Organisation or the committee, as appropriate, stating the date, place and time at which the meeting is to be held. The notice shall also state the charges made against the member or the circumstances which the meeting proposes to investigate and the secretary shall inform him/her, at the same time as giving him/her the notice of the meeting, that he/she will be entitled to put his/her case to the meeting and to be represented at the meeting.

Note: Disciplinary Proceedings

Rule 70. (a) If any member of the Association shall be guilty of any dishonourable conduct or of conduct which renders him unfit to be a member of any Organisation of the Association or wilfully breaks the Rules of any Organisation or these Rules or refuses to comply with any decision of an Organisation or the Association upon any matters affecting the sport of racing or showing homing pigeons, he may be excluded from membership of that Organisation or expelled or suspended from the Association by the Organisation , any such suspension to be of such duration as the Organisation shall determine. The procedure to be adopted by any Organisation in any matter which may lead to the exclusion, expulsion or suspension of a member shall be that specified in the Association Standard Rules for adoption by all affiliated Organisation under the heading “Grievances and Disciplinary Matters”. (b) It shall be the right of any affiliated Organisation to exclude, suspend or expel any person who is a member of a Club which is a member of the affiliated Organisation under the provision of this Rule.

[willie reynolds]

The club details and club house address are needed by the RPRA sooner than planned, make sure every NIPA Club supply Secty Name/Address/Phone and Address and contact for the Club House and Marking Centres to your NIPA Committee person. Its vital this info is returned, no info, no racing. Simple as that. NIPA Committee meeting is tonight 13/03/18 in Dromore and MAC Meeting is in Ballymena & Dist tomorrow night. It would be no bad thing now that RPRA have approved e-mail as a satisfactory way of communication that we have a complete contact list for every NIPA Club. It has taken some time, but I do believe we are getting there.