Honorary Life Membership is an honour bestowed on individual Chamber members whose exceptional, loyal and outstanding service and contribution have a provided measurable benefit to the Chamber over an extended period of time.

Honorary Life Membership is recognised by The Greater Narellan Business Chamber as the highest recognition that can be awarded to a member, in acknowledgement of their exceptional service and contribution. Such recognition is prestigious and accordingly, when determining whether an individual member should receive such recognition, the Selection Panel is encouraged to award Honorary Life Membership sparingly.

Persons Eligible for Nomination

• Any financial member, as at the date of the Annual General Meeting held by The Greater Narellan Business Chamber, is deemed to be eligible for nomination of Honorary Life Member of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber.
• Nominations can only be made by a current financial member, business or organisation of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber as at the date of the Annual General Meeting, with the nomination seconded by at least three (3) other current financial members, businesses or organisations of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber.
• Nominees must be an individual. Nominations will not be accepted for a business or organisation, but rather an individual from within such business or organisation
• Nominations should include the Nominator’s reasons for putting forward the candidate, favorable applications demonstrating minimum service requirements and examples, meeting the criteria as set out herein of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber’s policy on Honorary Life Membership Nomination Guidelines.
• Nominations should be completed by using the accompanying Nomination Form and when submitted should be titled “Confidential” and returned to the Secretary either by email or post seven (7) days prior to the date of the AGM.
• Nominations will be tendered and recorded as being submitted at the Executive meetings held monthly by the board of Directors.
• Once tabled and reviewed by the current Executive, all valid nominations will be forwarded to the Selection Committee for comments and selection of the successful Nominee
• The Selection Committee will consist of a panel of:
  • Previous recipients of Honorary Life Membership of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber, with a minimum of three (3) recipient to fulfil the positions and a maximum of
    (5). In the event that there are more than five (5) eligible Honorary Life Members to sit on the panel, then if there is a dispute as to which the five (5) Honorary Life Members shall sit on the panel, the Honorary Life Members to sit on the panel shall be selected by random ballot at the Executive meeting held immediately after the receipt of a valid nomination
  • The President;
  • The Vice President – General
  • The Vice President – Media & Communications
• The Selection Committee are not required to award Honorary Life Membership should they deem the candidates to not fully meet the requirements of the selection criteria.
• A maximum of one (1) Honorary Life Member is to be awarded in any given financial year.
• Nominations for Honorary Life Membership cannot be accepted by the Executive nor the Selection Committee if the Nomination has been put forward by or seconded by an immediate family member or individual who works in the same business as the Nominee.
• Current sitting Executive members are not eligible for Nomination as an Honorary Life Member.

Honorary Life Membership should not be considered as a competitive matter and Nominees are to be considered individually and on their personal attributes, achievements and contribution to the Chamber, not in comparison to others. Whilst comparisons may be made with the contribution of past recipients, direct comparisons should not be made and only used as a guide to inform the Selection Committee

Granting life membership is a balancing exercise. Criteria are provided as guidance, but it is the overall contribution of the Nominee that must be evaluated. For any of the relevant criteria, the Nominee should have demonstrated an exceptional contribution, beyond that of the ordinary member for an extended period of time, which has provided measurable benefit to The Greater Narellan Business Chamber and their members.

Essential Criteria Guidelines – Nominees MUST demonstrate the following:

• Minimum 5 years concurrent Chamber of Commerce membership – with The Greater Narellan Business Chamber.
• Minimum 5 years in specific roles that contribute to the benefit of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber. These roles may include but not be restricted to – service on the Executive Board, involvement in community-driven or focused events, the ongoing promotion of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber, committee and/or event coordinator roles etc.

Desirable Criteria Guidelines – Nominees would MOST LIKELY have demonstrated the following:

• Represented The Greater Narellan Business Chamber with distinction on regional committees, associations, councils;
• Supported The Greater Narellan Business Chamber through sponsorship in any form ie. monetary, in-kind, contra etc.
• Demonstrated a positive attitude and demeanour that reflects a dedication to the values of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber, including our core values and mission.
• Advocated for The Greater Narellan Business Chamber and upheld values of supporting local business when conducting their own business affairs.
• Provided valued leadership among The Greater Narellan Business Chamber’s members and key stakeholders, offering mentoring and ongoing support often being looked up to as a “role model” by other members.

Objections and Retractions of Honorary Life Membership

In the case of an objection, the objecting member has to provide strong reasons and/or evidence that counteracts the fundamentals of the Life Membership selection criteria. The Selection Committee needs to provide and document evidence the final decision was based on.

Retraction of Honorary Life Membership bestowment may occur where the recipient has conducted him/herself in a manner that reflects directly and adversely on the image or activities of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber. This provision will only be exercised in exceptional circumstances and will require the full support of the selection committee and current Executive. As part of the deliberation, the ‘Honorary Life Member’ in question is also to be given an opportunity to present his/her case for retention of his/her status at an Executive Meeting as determined by the Executive

Honorary Life Membership – Benefits

• Full individual membership for life with no membership fees payable.
• Personal invitations will be extended as complementary to all Chamber events. This is not transferable to other family and/or staff the Honorary Life Member is associated with
• A commemorative badge
• Recognition on The Greater Narellan Business Chamber’s website and meetings attended.

All nominations must be submitted by the nomination form by Friday the 24^th of August 2018.

Email completed nomination form to secretary@narellanchamber.com.au or mail to Po Box 78 Narellan NSW 2567 mark Attention: Secretary of The Greater Narellan Business Chamber