Ken Rainey, a well known Chartered Accountant and member of the business community in Enniskillen, has recently become President of the Rotary Club of Enniskillen for the second time.

At the Rotary hand-over meeting, which took place on Monday, July 3 at the Killyhevlin Hotel, Ken assumed the presidency of the Club, taking over from Angela McKinney.

There was a feeling of déjà vu during the meeting as this was not the first time Angela had handed over the chain of office to Ken, having previously preceded him when he first became president of the club in the year 2015/2016.

Outlining some of the “several highlights” of her second presidency, Angela told The Impartial Reporter that one actually occurred before her year officially started.

She explained: “We had an open evening to attract new members, and it’s always difficult to get people to join because they are so busy, but we managed to get seven new members, which is basically unheard of, so it was a great success.

“The next thing was, as a President, I’m allowed to choose a charity I want to support, and I chose Fermanagh Women’s Aid.

“So we applied for a district grant and we got £3,300, which was great,” she said, noting that at the Rotary President’s Ball, which was attended by 200 people, the club raised £4,000, which was split evenly between her chosen charity and Rotary Foundation, which supports international projects.

During the hand-over on Monday, Angela gave her farewell comment and thanked those who worked with her throughout the year.

Following his predecessor’s words, Ken was invited to stand as he was installed as the 60th President of the Rotary Club of Enniskillen. He gave his oath to the Rotary Club and was handed the chain of office, gavel and gong by Angela.

Originating from Markethill, County Armagh, Ken moved to Enniskillen with his wife, Pamela, in 1986 and joined the local Rotary Club shortly after his arrival in the town.

As a member of the club for more than 35 years, he has served as Treasurer for many years and, as mentioned previously, was also a former President in the year 2015/2016.

Talking to this newspaper about taking on the role of President for the second time, Ken said: “Having done it once, you can be complacent but I think I am both excited and nervous.

“And I simply want to do the best I can for the club.”

In 2012 Ken was honoured to receive a Paul Harris Fellowship, one of the highest awards in Rotary for his voluntary work in Romania – evidence of Rotary’s motto, ‘Service above Self’.

Ken is a Partner in Patton Rainey & Associates, Chartered Accountants, based in East Bridge Street, Enniskillen. He is also an elder in Enniskillen Presbyterian Church and has been involved over the years with many other charities.

The Rotary theme for the incoming year is ‘Create Hope in the World’, which Ken aims to bring to “the local community as well as the wider world”.

He is planning to assist a number of local charities this year with an emphasis on support for Dragon Boats and Cancer Connect NI.

Speaking to this newspaper, Ken explained why he has chosen to support Cancer Connect NI.

“Over the years we’ve had a continuing relationship with Cancer Connect NI through my office, and five years ago, one of my staff was diagnosed with cancer; she was in her 40s.

“I saw firsthand how Cancer Connect [supported] Christine and her family and I was deeply impressed by it. That led us to have a fundraising event at that stage after her death.

“Our relationship has continued since that time and then last year Cancer Connect were associated with the Dragon Boats and they launched that in Enniskillen, securing a site called Moonlight Bay at Portora,” said Ken, who hopes to help the charity through fundraising and by obtaining a Rotary Ireland District grant.

“Phil and Breda McGrenaghan [run Cancer Connect NI], and they are just wonderful ambassadors for this particular charity and I would like to do a little bit to help them along the way,” he said.

Internationally, Ken plans to raise support for Shelter Box, an international charity that provides emergency shelter and equipment for families who have lost their homes through disaster or conflict.

This is a charity that is also very important to President Elect, Kerr Fulton-Peebles.

Looking forward to his second year as President, Ken commented that there are many “exciting events” planned.

“Two that would stand out to me at the present would be our District Conference, which is an all-Ireland conference being held here in the Killyhevlin at the end of September,” he said, adding: “Secondly, I think the highlight for most Rotarians is the President’s Ball, held on the first Saturday in March.

“Those two events are fantastic opportunities to show what Rotary is about,” he told this newspaper.