Yesterday, he was remembered as a dedicated and hardworking man who could always be relied upon.
Mr Fisher died, aged 69, in Dunedin earlier this month.
His funeral was held yesterday at Forbury Park.
In a social media post, his former colleague and friend Lindsay Chappell said he was a well-respected, loved, beautiful and intelligent human being.
"I have shared my working life with Calvin for 40 years and we never had a cross word."
He said Mr Fisher had helped and supported thousands of people over the years, and that he was "simply the best".
Mr Fisher held various roles over his lifetime including sales, retail and training at teachers college, and worked as a labourer with New Zealand Cement Holdings for three years, before becoming a Labourers Union organiser in 1976.
He achieved many things during his time as a union official, including being the lead advocate between St John New Zealand and the New Zealand Ambulance Association (NZAA) which led to the NZAA joining Amalgamated Workers Union NZ (AWUNZ).
His work during the 1988 Clyde Dam strike, where workers took industrial action over a 17-week period, culminated in a settlement plan between the parties.
AWUNZ national secretary Maurice Davis said Mr Fisher firmly believed in delivering better outcomes for union members, and represented them with "absolute passion throughout the toughest period of unionism".
Mr Fisher was born on November 11, 1953, in Christchurch, and attended Christchurch Boys’ High School.
He served as a member of the Saddle Hill Community Board between 1989 and 1995, and was more recently involved in a legal battle with the Dunedin City Council over a quarry in the Saddle Hill area.
The council and Mr Fisher had a long-running battle over the quarry and its visual impact on Saddle Hill.
Mr Fisher was a Labour candidate for the Wallace electorate in 1984 and Otago electorate in 1987.
He was a lover of surfing and horse racing, and a life-long member of the South Coast Board Riders club, which honoured him yesterday by flying its flag at half-mast.
"It will be a different world without his wit, smarts and don’t forget the stories," Mr Chappell said.
