Rootvij would always go out of his way to help someone in need, no matter what the circumstances were – be it a colleague, a friend, someone in the family, or a stranger. On this occasion, he dived into the water at Lake Tyers beach to try to aid his friend who was in trouble in the water. Unfortunately this time it meant that Rootvij had to make the ultimate sacrifice, his life, for this noble cause.

During his relatively short earthly stay, Rootvij has had a profound impact on everyone that he has come into contact with, because of his outgoing, gregarious and selfless persona and character. His passing from this life has had an immense and intense effect on the people that he knew, directly personally or otherwise.

As the Rootvij we knew and loved would never stop helping people, this has given birth to the Rootvij Kadakia Foundation. The Foundation has a number of aims which it hopes would be beneficial to various people in the community. The primary aim of the Foundation currently is to raise beach safety awareness amongst the community.

It has been noted statistically that the majority of harmful incidents and fatalities that occur at Australian beaches involve recently-arrived Australians or people from other nationalities. These could be tourists, migrants or international students. When one ventures onto the beach, or any other aquatic environment, there are a few basic principles that need to be followed. Australia is blessed with one of the most beautiful coastlines and very beautiful beaches. However, like many other things, one needs to be careful and responsible when at the beach to ensure a safe and fun-filled time. Further, this sense of caution and responsibility can be increased with training and workshops.

Australia is multicultural in the true sense of the word, and has attracted people from all over the world. We would like to educate as many people as possible on the topic of water safety. During our first year, the Foundation will be working to provide this education to international students who come to study in Melbourne, Victoria. Going forward, in following years, the Foundation will also work with various migrant community organisations.

The Rootvij Kadakia Foundation will leverage the deep and extensive knowledge and experience of Life Saving Victoria (LSV) to help spread the Foundation’s message. LSV is an organisation that has been proudly imparting this education through its various courses and initiatives. Life Saving Victoria’s mission is to prevent aquatic related death and injury in all Victorian communities and has the vision that all Victorians will learn water safety, swimming and resuscitation, and be provided with safe aquatic environments and venues.

The Rootvij Kadakia Foundation will, whenever it deems necessary, provide the funds required to conduct the afore-mentioned courses and seminars. We aim to provide the knowledge so that anyone attending the courses would walk away with invaluable knowledge enabling him or her to have a safer experience when in or near water or the seaside.