Mourners have gathered in Melbourne's outer west to honour the lives of two beloved young boys who were violently murdered over the weekend.

The candlelit vigil went ahead before a large crowd gathered in a community space in Melton on Tuesday night.

There were tears, tributes and a hymn for the two slain boys, 12-year-old Chol Achiek and his 15-year-old friend, Dau Akueng.

"Chol was a lovely boy. He was a very peaceful boy," the 12-year-old's father told mourners.

"He loved everybody — loved all the family, siblings, everybody."

Dau has previously been remembered as a rising star basketballer and an emerging leader who had impressed his mentors as a "really good kid" .

The two boys were attacked in the suburb of Cobblebank, near Melton, shortly after they got off a bus following a

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