Rotary International Convention in Taipei, a trip to Bali and Indonesia, an update on the Adopt A Village Laos water project and volunteer needs for the Barnside Harvest Festival in September were all topics which Ladner Rotarian Mike Storey covered in his presentation to the club on September 21, 2026.
In Taipei, for the Rotary Convention, Mike, who attended with his wife Kathy, describes being hosted by Victor, a family connection through former Ladner Rotary member Chu Wu also, who provided hospitality, meals, transportation, and city tours. Highlights included Taipei night markets, Bangka Lungshan Temple, Taipei 101, a family welcome dinner.
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He also described his attendance at the Rotary Convention opening ceremony at Taipei Dome, with 38,000 members. At the Convention's House of Friendship, Mike visited the Watersafe booth, which featured affordable, self-cleaning water backpacks used in countries such as Kenya, India, and Ghana. The speaker notes this may be useful for Simba’s village in Zimbabwe and also mentions exploring classroom desk support through Global Change for Children.
After the convention, Mike and Kathy travelled to Bali and nearby islands to celebrate their 50th anniversary. They visited Flores, Pink Beach, a viewpoint on Padar Island, a sandbar with harmless blacktip sharks, and Komodo Island, where they saw Komodo dragons, birds, and a wild boar. The trip also included snorkeling, sunsets, beach dining, temples, waterfalls, rice fields, and a hotel accessible only by scooter.
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Mike and Kathy Storey celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary | |
The Adopt A Village Laos update focused on the project at Sopham, where the club helped fund a water system. The project includes a large concrete storage tank, water lines to village tap stations, and a pipe crossing the Ou River. Leader of the program, Rotarian Steve Rutledge, of the Rotary Club of Whitby, Ontario plans to visit the club in September with a full update.
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Steve Rutledge visits an Adopt A Village water delivery project in a village of Laos | |
On a final note, Mike advised members that one of the club's major fundraisers of the year, parking administration for the annual Barnside Harvest Festival September 11 to Sunday, September 13 was 7.5 weeks away and required 331 volunteer hours over three days. Club members are asked to sign up for shifts and recruit friends and family.
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| Ty Morris and co-presidents Richard Shantz and Lynn Cameron thank Mike Storey for his presentation with a donation in his name to The Rotary Foundation's global campaign to rid the world of polio |
