The late Michael Moloney studied theatre arts and media at Bathurst's college of advanced education in the 1970s before it became Charles Sturt University.

Mr Moloney went on to become a pioneering performing arts educator in Northern Ireland where he co-founded the Belfast Community Circus School, which brings together children from Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods to learn circus skills such as juggling, stilt-walking and trapeze.

A resident of Belfast for 30 years, Mr Moloney, 59, died in April. Following a funeral service in Belfast last month, his Australian family, friends and colleagues will hold a memorial service at Sydney's Balgowlah RSL on Saturday.

During his student days in Bathurst, Mr Moloney helped establish the annual campus-based Village Fair in 1974, an event that marks its 40th anniversary next year.

Most recently, he was director of Northern Ireland's Prison Arts Foundation, which took professional actors, musicians and other artists into jails to help rehabilitate inmates through creative expression.

Former Charles Sturt University theatre/media lecturer Bill Blaikie described Mr Moloney as "the prototypical theatre/media graduate''.

"His contributions to social justice, reform and the arts were exceptional and his presence was often felt as keenly in Australia as it was in Belfast,'' Mr Blaikie said.

"His charm, his knowledge and his creative concern enabled him to bring people from both sides of the troubles together in friendship through circus and through his arts work in prisons.''

Friends and associates of Mr Moloney are invited to join his family for a ceremony at Frenchs Forest Bushland Cemetery from 11am on Saturday, followed by a memorial service at Balgowlah RSL in Seaforth from 12.30pm.