Enniskillen welcomes hundreds to Rotary District Conference

The conference took place at the Killyhevlin Hotel in Enniskillen from Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 1.

Mr. Fisher, from Ballinamallard, is the first local person to hold the prestigious position of District Governor of Rotary Ireland, serving in the role for 2023/24.

District Governor of Rotary Ireland Kenny Fisher.

It was his decision to host this year’s conference in his beloved home county.

Under the chairmanship of Rotarian Henry Robinson, the conference had been in planning for 12 months, with delegates invited to attend from across the island of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

Mr. Robinson was supported by Mr. Fisher; the current Rotary Club of Enniskillen President, Ken Rainey; and other local Rotarians.

The key conference delegates, including the international representative Cheryl Law from England, were treated to a civic reception in Enniskillen Townhall before the opening of the conference, where they were given a guided tour of the building.

They were also given a tour of some of the recent projects carried out by the Enniskillen Club, such as the Sensory Garden provided at Killadeas Day Centre, Lackaghboy, Enniskillen; the specially adapted minibus for Willowbridge Special Care School; and the Boost Room for teenagers at Action Mental Health (AMH) Drumcoo.

The conference was opened on Friday morning by Club President Mr. Rainey, who expressed his delight at the privilege of hosting the event in Co. Fermanagh. He continued by introducing the District Governor.

Rotary Club of Enniskillen President Ken Rainey looks on.

During his introduction to Mr. Fisher, Mr. Rainey said: “This is the first time in our history of over 60 years that we have had the privilege of having ‘one of our own’ as a District Governor, hence the first time the Conference has been held in Enniskillen.

“Kenny is well known throughout County Fermanagh and beyond for his support of community life and good causes.”

Mr. Fisher then took to the stage and in his speech, he referred to the Rotary theme for the year – ‘Create Hope in the World’ – which was selected by Rotary International President Gordon McInally.

Rotary aims to bring lasting change to the world, “one newly-created hope at a time”.

Welcomed

Mr. Fisher then introduced the Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly (Sinn Fein). He welcomed the delegates to the area and said he hoped they would not only enjoy their stay, but return on another occasion to enjoy many more of the attractions that Fermanagh has to offer.

The conference continued with a range of talks. The first speaker was Kerr Fulton-Peebles, who is the Shelterbox Co-ordinator for Ireland.

He explained that Shelterbox was originally formed by a Rotary Club in Cornwall with a vision that “no one should be without shelter after a disaster”.

The box provides shelter, materials and technical assistance to help vulnerable people recover and rebuild their homes after a disaster.

The next speaker was Hilary McGrady, the Director General of the National Trust, with a talk entitled ‘Helping nature thrive – and inspiring people to care for it’.

She quoted from Sir David Attenborough: “No-one will protect what they don’t care about, and no-one will care about what they have never experienced”.

Speakers throughout Friday afternoon included Ian McCracken from BALCAS along with Donal Magner from Rotary’s Environmental Services, who talked on sustainability in the timber industry.

Jane Walker of the Purple Community Fund spoke about helping communities in the Philippines.

Aideen McGinley, former Chief Executive of Fermanagh District Council, facilitated an encouraging and inspirational discussion with a group of Youth Leadership students on their hope for the future.

The group included Darcey Crawford from Enniskillen who was a regional winner in the competition and travelled to Strasburg with other successful students to visit the EU Parliament.

Shelley Cowan from Tamlaght gave a wonderful presentation of her battle with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (severe ME), while JC Chapsaddle, a retired US Air Force Colonel, spoke of peace-building and conflict resolution and his involvement in the Corrymeela ‘Seeds of Hope’ initiative in Northern Ireland.

Howard Caskie, District Chairman of the Rotary Foundation, gave an update on several Rotary projects, including Polio eradication, where Rotary has been to the fore in trying to end the disease forever.

Presentation

Two visiting Rotarians from Nepal gave a presentation on their work supporting struggling communities and appealed for help from Rotarians in Ireland.

The next day, Saturday, business commenced with Mr. Fisher introducing a message from the worldwide President of Rotary, Mr. McInally, who urged all Rotarians to help make Rotary a source of strength for all those who have no hope.

Mr. McInally revealed that he lost his only brother, a successful businessman, to suicide.

He encouraged Rotarians to let this be the year “we create hope in the world and let Rotary be known as an organisation that takes care of its members as well as the people it serves”.

The conference continued with a talk by Father Brian D’Arcy on his view of creating hope in the world.

Father Brian D'Arcy.

Then Clare Galbraith, Head of Fundraising at AWARE NI – which offers support and education for people with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder – gave a short presentation to guests on the work of the charity across Northern Ireland.

She said she was delighted that the District Governor had chosen to focus on mental health during his year and had decided to work with AWARE NI.

Paddy Maher, who is involved with the Mental Education Programme in the Republic of Ireland, outlined how they were attempting to deal with the issues of mental health and stress management, while Ronan Harbison, chairman of the Rotary International Committee, gave an update on several projects that his group have been involved with, including Humanitarian School Water Projects, School Bikes Africa, Lend with Care and Generators for Ukraine.

Margaret Gallagher.

Margaret Gallagher from Mullylusty Cottage gave a wonderful talk entitled ‘Living Off-grid’, and William Cross, Rotaract Representative encouraged clubs to seek out universities and places of further education to set up Rotaract Clubs to compliment the work of Rotary in doing good in the community.

In closing the conference, District Governor Mr. Fisher paid tribute to his team for organising the conference and to the delegates for attending.

The District Governor’s Ball was held on Saturday night, and on Sunday morning, an Ecumenical Service of Worship was led by Dean Kenneth Hall and Deacon Martin Donnelly, standing in for Monsignor Peter O’Reilly.

It was an “inspiring and sociable” weekend enjoyed by all who attended, with the Rotary delegates leaving with a “renewed vision to create hope in the world”.

Rotarians’ District Conference coverage continues overleaf.

Father Brian D’Arcy’s address from this year’s Rotary conference features on Page 24.