Honorary Life Members
Honorary Life Membership and Honorary Membership
The awarding of Honorary Life Membership is a common way in which to recognize the special contributions made by members of non-profit organisations such as sports clubs.
[An aside: In the case of Tai Tapu Golf Club, confusion arose between Honorary Life Membership and Honorary Membership because the terms were similar. Clearly they are not identical but the imprecise member might think they are. To clarify this situation, the “Honorary Membership” which existed in 1986 and 1998 issues of the Club’s Rules was replaced in 2005 with “Complimentary Membership”. This latter has been used to reward volunteers who provide special services to the Club over a period of time and their status is reviewed annually].
Usually there will be a rule or convention in an organisation which specifies which of its members may qualify for Honorary Life Membership. No records can be found before 1986 which specify conditions which must be met by members nominated for Honorary Life Membership of Tai Tapu Golf. The first we have are the Rules of the Club approved at a Special General Meeting 4 August 1986 which state:
1986 Rule7 (f) Honorary Life Members
Honorary Life Membership may be conferred upon the unanimous recommendation of the committee, approved by a ballot of members at the Annual General Meeting of the Club, one adverse vote in four to reject. Nominations shall be forwarded to the secretary before the end of the financial year. The name of the person or persons nominated, if approved by the committee, together with those of the proposers and seconders shall be posted in the club house at least 14 days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
This clause is delightfully vague as to what would qualify a member to be nominated for Honorary Life Membership although it is specific about the formal procedure after nomination. The Club Rules issued in 1998 include the same clause with very little change:
1998 Change Rule 7(e) Honorary Life Members
Honorary Life Membership may be conferred on any member on the unanimous recommendation of the Committee, approved by members at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Same voting procedures as Rule 27. Nominations shall be forwarded to the Secretary one month before the date set for the Annual General Meeting. The name of the person or persons nominated, if approved by the Committee together with those of the proposers and seconders shall be posted in the club at least 14 days prior to the Annual General Meeting
But in 2005 the situation changed and the nominee must show-or more correctly a nominee’s proposer and seconder must show how the nominee meets the following clause:
2005 Club Rules Booklet effective 19 September 2005 Rule 7(e) Honorary Life Membership
Honorary Life Membership may be conferred upon any member on the recommendation of 75% of the Management Committee present at the meeting and approved by members at an Annual General Meeting of the Club. The voting procedures to be the same as Rule 26. Nominations shall be forwarded to the Secretary in writing one month before the date set for the Annual General Meeting. Any Nominee must have been a full member and have made an outstanding contribution to the well-being and running of the Club over many years. This contribution should have been on a voluntary basis without significant financial reward. The name of the person nominated when approved by the Management Committee, together with those of the proposer and seconder shall be posted in the clubhouse at least fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
Thus from 2005, three criteria had to be met:
- Full member of the Club
- Outstanding contribution (a) to well-being and running of the Club and (b) over many years
- Without significant financial award.
Honorary Life Members Extant: Limit 8
When Honorary Life Membership was instituted there probably was no indication as to how many extant Honorary Life Members could eventually be elected. Without being able to cite the source however it seems opinion came to favour a limit of eight Honorary Life Members. [In fact in 1999 there were nine members but that was the only year in which the eight guideline was exceeded]. Subsequent issues of the Club Rules in 2009, 2011, 2013 continued these criteria but in the 2011 issue of the Rules a limit of eight extant Honorary Life Members was imposed as follows:
2011
Club Rules Booklet effective 1 September 2011 Extract from Rule 7(e).
“ . . . .As a guideline the number of Honorary Life memberships held at any time should not exceed eight. However, the management committee may at its discretion increase that number in an exceptional case or not fill a vacancy caused by the death of an Honorary Life Member.”
Without Significant Financial Reward
The third clause above, inserted in 2005 “without significant financial reward” is believed to have been to recognize that it would be inappropriate to have Honorary Life Membership conferred on full-time employees of the Club. Unfortunately, although unintended, it appears to capture any member of the Club receiving an honorarium. Therefore, after 19o5, no Secretary or Treasurer, or future Club Captain (if receiving an Honorarium, which has often been strongly advocated) would ever qualify. [Yet again we do not have reliable data on the honoraria given in the past, but in passing it is noted that a $4000 honorarium given, e.g. for the Treasurer around 2016 would have been only $235 in 1968, $820 in 1980 and so on [via Reserve Bank CPI calculator]
Better Method for assessing Nominees
In another regard it appears that a procedure that previously was used in the case of a successful nominee, should be applied to all nominees. That procedure was to refer any nominations for Honorary Life Membership to a small select committee, chaired by the Club President and comprising the proposer of the nominee, an Honorary Life Member and an appropriate Committee Convenor. That allows a closer examination than would be afforded at an ordinary committee meeting where some members would have had little knowledge of a nominee’s earlier history of service.
Well-being and running of Club
An interpretation that has always been observed is reflected from “. . .to the well-being and running of the Club” to mean that a nominee should have been in a management or administrative position. Thus Officers such as Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers and committee members of long service would be appropriate nominees. However, in 2013 this interpretation was extended when Kevern Poad was unanimously elected an Honorary Life Member. Kevern had never been in an administrative position or seated on any committee. Kevern had instead become the Club’s resident engineer and it was his skills applied over many years to the maintenance and repair of machinery and equipment and even the innovative construction of new devices, that have contributed “to the well-being and running of the Club”.
Past and Present Honorary Life Members
A full list follows. We are uncertain as to exactly when Honorary Life Members listed here were elected. Unless there is evidence to the contrary we have taken the first year in which they were listed on the programme booklets. The earliest such book we have is that for 1959 and two Honorary Life Members are listed in it viz., William Grieg Macartney and George Orr Templeton but clearly they could have been elected Honorary Life Members before 1959.
Due to the absence of official documents, such as minutes of meetings for the period concerned, we have little or no information about the roles performed by several members. One must assume that the Club Committee of that time would have been well aware of the various members’ contributions and from the distance of half a century or more, we must trust the decisions of those Committees.
To view the list of past and present Honorary Life Members click here:
Honorary Life Members