“To preside over this excellent club in the coming year is a great honour for me.” This view was expressed by the new President of the Rotary Club of Enniskillen, Jisbinder Singh Sembhi, affectionately known as Sembs, who has just taken up office, in succession to Siobhan O’Reilly, Immediate Past President.

Born in Derby, England, he explains that his parents were from the Punjab region in India and they moved to Derby in 1965.

Living and working in Co. Fermanagh, Sembs joined A1 Transport (NI) Ltd in 2007 and took on the role of General Manager of the Company, which he explains was established 18 years ago by his wife Anna. Prior to moving to Ireland, he was a Distribution Manager for Royal Mail for 15 years.

“My wife and I have four wonderful boys; Jake who is 11, Joshua who is nine and 20-month-old twins Milo and Kai,” mentions Sembs, who admits: “There is never a dull moment or even a spare moment” in their house.

He enjoys spending time with his family and says “every second is precious together.” He is keen on travelling and enjoys visiting new countries and experiencing different cultures. He adds: “I enjoy good food and spend a lot of time cooking, in particular Indian food.”

Sembs has been a member of the Rotary Club of Enniskillen for four years.

“Within that time I have met and worked with some of the most genuine, talented, thoughtful, and generous people you could ever meet that unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service,” he declared.

He points out that through its distinct mission and structure, “Rotary International provides a way to connect to our communities, to network professionally, and to build strong and lasting relationships.”

He continues: “Our membership connects us to a global community through our countless projects and programmes, our leadership in polio eradication, and our work with and through the United Nations.

“Our service connects us to people who share our values, who want to take action for a better world; it connects us to people we would never otherwise meet, who are more like us than we could have imagined; and it connects us to people who need our help, allowing us to change lives in communities around the world.”

Sembs points out that “Rotary is working to change lives through its network of 34,000 Clubs around the world, embedded in and representative of their communities and to draw on the skills and connections of their members in the support of their local communities.”

He outlined: “In the coming year my vision for the Club of Enniskillen is to be universally recognised for commitment to Service Above Self, to advance local, national and world understanding, goodwill, and peace and to be linked in service to our local communities.”

He noted: “Service is a major element of our mission and I am grateful to all the Club Committee members who have agreed to the roles for the year ahead. Through the plans and actions of our Club we will create a culture of service throughout our organisation that strives to provide unparalleled assistance to those we serve.”

“I believe Rotary unifies all people internationally behind the ideal of service. I encourage diversity of age, gender, race, ethnicity and vocations within our membership and in our activities and service work. A club that reflects its community is a club with a future.”

Sembs concluded by extending thanks to all the Rotarians and said he looked forward “to building on the outstanding work, contributions already made over the many years, of the Club of Enniskillen.”

He highlighted that the club has a packed schedule with lots of commitments in the coming year and he noted that it will celebrate a major milestone on June 30, 2020, its 65th birthday.

“Here’s to an inspiring and exciting year ahead for the club,” enthused Sembs, who adds that anyone interested in becoming a member should get in touch.