THERE are those people who say, and those who do. Oliver Butterfield was firmly in the latter group.

Oliver - or Ollie to his friends - died when his car veered off the Hume Highway near Wangaratta and hit a tree on December 29.

Last Friday, he was farewelled by a large crowd at the Footscray Community Arts Centre where he had worked as a volunteer.

Oliver Butterfield grew up in Eltham and with his father, David, an opera singer, developed an interest in music at an early age.

"We had a very musical house," David told the gathering.

"The kids used to stand around the piano and we'd sing songs from the musicals."

Oliver was part of the school choir, played drums, saxophone and in his teens picked up the guitar, to which he devoted countless hours.

He dabbled in recording and producing, but his greatest instrument was his voice and he turned to hip-hop, performing under the name Ollie MC.

Born with spina bifida, by the age of 12 Oliver's difficulties with walking became more pronounced and he needed a wheelchair.

His disability and a strong sense of justice for refugees and indigenous people drove him.

"He was a man of love, a person who stood up for what was right and he let everyone know what he thought was right," Mr Butterfield said.

On piano, Mr Butterfield paid tribute to his son by singing Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings.

Catholic priest Father Bob Maguire presided over Oliver's memorial service.

Father Maguire had met Oliver at the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre where he had been active in publicising the plight of refugees in detention.

There he taught music to detainees and took part in protests against children in detention.

On Twitter, Father Maguire paid tribute to Oliver, saying he had "touched so many people's lives".