Immortal Guardians Motorcycle Club is a strict MC. To become a member is more than just paying a fee and getting a patch, it involves the following steps or levels to be completed, before becoming a full patch member of the club. All proper Motorcycle Clubs, both Internationally and in South Africa, has these stages to become a member.
Friend of the Club:
This level of club affiliation consists of people who have made some sort of formal or informal contact with the club, perhaps most commonly through a friendship or acquaintance with a full patch member, but who have not announced an intention of prospecting for future membership. Friends of the club may decide to join the club on rides or attend other club functions and may do this on a very frequent or infrequent basis. The key distinction is that they have not expressed any intent to join the club. A friend of the club may be a bike rider, though this is not necessary. Friends of the club wear no official club “colors” or patches and pay no dues. A friend of the club may eventually develop an interest in formalizing his/her relationship to the club by prospecting for the club at some point in the future. Friends of the club should realize that the Immortal Guardians respects all other patch clubs and with that awareness comes a responsibility to not do anything while associated with the Immortal Guardians Motorcycle Club that would bring embarrassment or negativity to this or a member of any other club.
Hangaround:
This level of club affiliation consists of people who have stated an intention of prospecting for the club but have not either formally announced their desire to prospect yet. The “hangaround period” may vary vastly from person to person. It is also possible for one to go from being a hangaround to being a friend of the club or from being a hangaround to becoming a prospect. The former would usually occur when the person, after hanging around the club for a while, decided to no longer have the intent of joining but still wanted to join in on club rides or events. Anyone who intends to prospect for the club must go through some hangaround period first. The hangaround period is a relatively informal time for someone who is interested in the club to spend some time with club members, go on some club rides, etc. It is also a time for the person to get a feel for how much they fit with the Immortal Guardians culture, so to speak. It's also a time for the club to engage in the same evaluation process with regard to the hangaround. The hangaround wears no official club colors or patches and pays no dues. Hangarounds are expected to show respect to all Immortal Guardians MC full patch members and patched members of any other club as well.
Prospect:
A prospect is someone who has stated a clear intention of being a full patch member of the club and has been accepted as a prospect by an Immortal Guardians MC Chapter. The prospecting period will be a minimum of six months. Not all prospects will eventually become full patch members. Some will realize during their prospecting period that the club is not for them. For others, the club will realize that the prospect is not a good fit for the club. The prospect level of club affiliation is the first level that includes a clearly stated obligation to attend a certain number of rides, meetings and events of the club. While a prospect has no voting privileges, he/she is considered a “member” of the club in more defined ways than a friend of the club or a hangaround. A prospect is expected to follow all rules in the constitution. A prospect must have his/her own bike, of at least 600cc. A prospect wears the Immortal Guardians MC prospect colors on their cut and they will be informed of their duties by their Chapter Council.
Full Patch Member:
After the prospecting period has successfully completed, and at the discretion of the Chapter and National Council, a prospect can become a full patch member. A full patch member has demonstrated being in alignment with the principles, philosophy and constitution of the club. The full patch member has voting privileges and follows the club rules and regulations as set out in the Club Constitution. A full patch member (and only a full patch member) is allowed to wear the full club colors. A full patch member is expected to respect his/her brother and sister club members and to show this same level of respect to any patch member of any other club.
For more information about the meaning of the Immortal Guardians MC patch, click here.