By Laws – Sydney Game Fishing Club

Sydney Game Fishing Club – By-Laws

The Club’s By-Laws are broken up into sections – General, Fishing and Club Points & Trophies.

Breaches of By-Laws are handled under section 22 of the Club Constitution and may result in expulsion or suspension of membership.

General By-Laws last updated June 2020.

1. Insignia

(a) A design approved by the Committee shall be the insignia of the Club; such insignia may be reproduced on the Club’s stationary and Certificates and generally where considered suitable. Also it may be produced as a metal badge, incorporated into member’s wearing apparel, and/or into a Club Burgee.

(b) A President’s insignia shall be struck and flown at the mast-head of his boat when the President is on board

(c) Capture flags are only to be flown on the appropriate game pole if the boat is so equipped; sharks and other gamefish – starboard; marlin – port. Tag & Release Flag below appropriate Capture Flag.

(d) The Club insignia shall only be obtainable by members from the Club at such fee as the Committee may from time to time prescribe and are returnable on demand by the Hon. Secretary and/or cessation of membership. This Burgee shall be flown at the mast-head or any other suitable position other than game poles.

2. Club Uniform

The Club Uniform shall be;

(a) The Club uniform shall be:

(i) for male members, red, white and blue club shirt, navy blue Club jumper, navy blue shorts, white socks, blue yachting shoes and peaked cap.

(ii) for lady members, white shirt or blouse, navy blue club jumper, navy shorts, slacks or skirt, white socks, blue yachting shoes and peaked cap.

(iii) for actual fishing on a boat a dark coloured (preferably navy blue) T-Shirt with boat name and SGFC printed on it, is recommended.

(b) Members should always be suitably attired for all occasions

3. Club House

(a) Members may bring visitors to the Club premises on a daily basis and at all times and on all occasions whilst on Club premises such member shall be personally responsible for the conduct of his/her guests.

(b) It is the duty of all members to dress and conduct themselves on the Club premises in a manner conducive to the welfare and enjoyment of his fellow members and the best interest and reputation of the Club to promote harmony and good fellowship and refrain from any behaviour or activity which may cause nuisance or injury to other members or damage to Club property.

(c) Any person, whose application for membership of the Club has been rejected, or any expelled member shall be ineligible as a visitor.

(d) It is the duty of all Members to control the bar area and to see that members and visitors conduct themselves in accordance with the By-Laws. The Hon. Club House Manager will be responsible for the appointing of Duty officers.

(e) The cutting up of fish on the weigh station is prohibited except for personal use.

(f) Members may not conduct commercial activities from the Club House or use its facilities under any circumstances without a commercial agreement with SGFC.

(g) Members must not share their access cards to the club with guests or other members.

4. Boats

(a) Registration

(i) All boat owners wishing to fish in the Point Score Competitions must have their boat registered with the club EACH YEAR. Any boat owner who does not register his boat EACH YEAR will be ineligible to compete in the Point Scores. Notification for boat registration is to be forwarded to boat owners with annual subscriptions notification and be returned to the Secretary prior to the boat commencing Point Score fishing.

(ii) In the case of a member registering his boat for the first time, said registration must be accompanied by a colour photograph. The photograph is to be placed with the registration form.

(iii) To be eligible for registration a boat must be over 5 metres from stem to stern (transom) and carry in good order and condition all safety equipment specified on the boat registration form and local regulatory safety requirements.

(iv) All boats must be equipped with two working marine radios, once of which must be VHF frequency.

(v) All boats must be registered to win boat trophies and point score.

(b) Safety:

(i) It is the owner’s responsibility to ensure that their boat is completely seaworthy and meets required regulatory insurance and safety standards and the insurance and safety standards of the Club.

(ii) All boats putting to sea on any non-point score day are to ensure, where possible, they contact another on VHF radio at 10 minutes past the hour until they return to port.

(iii) In the event of bad weather on point score day, the owner or skipper will decide if the conditions are safe for fishing. In the event of a Gale Warning, or higher category of warning, being issued by the BOM fishing is cancelled until the relevant Warning is lifted.

(iv) At any time a member of the Committee may board a boat duly registered with the Club for the purpose of inspecting the safety equipment carried by the boat. If, in the opinion of the said Member, such safety equipment is not up to standard, or is deficient, then the owner will be notified, in writing, of the safety equipment requiring repair and to present the said boat for a further inspection. If, on the second inspection, the said safety equipment is still not up to standard, the boat will be suspended from the Club’s Register until the safety equipment is rectified. Upon suspension, all fish caught from the said boat will be ineligible for point score.

4. Membership

(a) That prior to acceptance of new members as boat owners, the boat may be inspected by a member of the Membership Committee for its suitability for registration on the Club Register.

(b) That all prospective new “Ordinary ” Members may be interviewed by Committee prior to Membership being voted upon.

(d) You are not eligible to win Club Trophies (unless charter provides) if membership has not been formalised.

5. Club Wharf

The Club’s wharf is for the use of all club members. Registered club boats may only berth at the Club for the purposes of recreational or social use and must adhere to the Wharf Docking Policy (below). Boats may not conduct commercial activities from the Club wharf or its facilities under any circumstances without a commercial agreement with SGFC. Visiting boats may only berth at the Club with the express consent of the Committee.

Wharf Docking Policy

Boats docked at the club house:

Are at the risk of the Skipper, SGFC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever
Must be adequately insured and appropriately secured to the wharf
Must be considerate of other club members, users and the local neighborhood
May remain at the wharf for a maximum period of 24 hours prior to vacating the wharf for a period of no less than 12 hours, unless otherwise agreed upon by the committee
Skipper must be within 30 minutes of the Club at all times the boat is tied to the Wharf
If skipper leaves the Club premises for any period of time at all they must write the name of boat, their name, contact phone number, time docked and time leaving on the Wharf Notice Board.
No boats are permitted at weigh station during Committee Meetings.

Note: the Club wants to see the Club Wharf being used, the intent of the wharf rules is to allow reasonable access to all members for all legitimate purposes. The wharf is a shared facility, please show courtesy and respect at all times to others members using the wharf. Subject to the conditions of the policy being followed, the permitted use for docking a boat at the Club wharf include example activities such as:

Docking the evening before or after fishing
Docking and having lunch locally around Watson’s Bay
Docking to pick-up / drop-off other members or guests
Docking to have trades look at or work on the boat

6. Family Friendly Club

SGFC is a family friendly club that promotes diversity, participation and inclusion for all of our members.

The Club has zero tolerance to inappropriate behavior or misconduct including discrimination, bullying, harassment and victimisation.