Person

Farnworth, Arthur James (1923 - 2006)

MBE

Born
30 September 1923
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Died
10 December 2006
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Naturalist, Research administration, Textile technologist and Wool expert

Summary

Arthur Farnworth was a textile technologist who, as a research Officer with CSIRO, invented a way to create permanent creases in woollen fabric. The process, known as SiroSet, revolutionised the industry and has been acknowledged widely as one of Australia's most significant inventions. In 1961 Farnworth moved from CSIRO to the Australian Wool Bureau and the Australian Wool Board, taking on more senior roles in the industrialisation, management and promotion of wool research. Farnworth, in retirement, joined the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria. He served as President from 1990 to 1993, during which time he tackled a number of problematic issues for the Club. To ensure members had timely information on Club activities, he inaugurated the monthly Field nats news. He also became an expert nature photographer. His photos were included in a number of publications, including Melbourne's wildlife (2006). Farnworth donated his photograph collection to Museum Victoria.

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Details

Chronology

1943
Education - Graduated as Associate, School of Industrial Chemistry, Gordon Institute of Technology
1945
Education - BSc, University of Melbourne
1946
Education - MSc, University of Melbourne
1948
Education - PhD, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
1949 - 1955
Career position - Lecturer, Gordon Institute of Technology
1955 - 1958
Career position - Research Officer, CSIRO Wool textile Research Laboratory
1958 - 1961
Career position - Research Officer, CSIRO Division of Textile Industry
1959
Award - Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
1961 - 1963
Career position - Technical Manager, Australian Wool Bureau
1963 - 1969
Career position - Director, Technical Department, Australian Wool Board
1970 - 1971
Career position - Deputy General Manager, Australian Wool Board
1972 - 1973
Career position - General Manager, Australian Wool Board
1973 - 1979
Career position - General Manager, Corporate Services and Research Division, Australian Wool Corporation
1979 - 1985
Career position - Chief General Manager, Australian Wool Corporation
1985
Award - Medal of the Worshipful Company of Woolmen (U.K.) for contributions to wool research, technology, marketing and administration
1985
Life event - Retired
1986 -
Career position - Member, Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria
1986 - 1989
Career position - Foundation Chairman, Australian Wool Research and Development Council
1987 - 2006
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
1990 - 1993
Career position - President, Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria
1992
Award - 50 Year Member Award, Royal Australian Chemical Institute
1992 - 2006
Career position - Member, Royal Society of Victoria
2001
Award - Centenary Medal for service to Australian society in textile chemistry

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Books

  • Farnworth, A. J. and Delmenico, J., Permanent setting of wool (Watford, U.K.: Merrow Publishing Co., 1971), 46 pp. Details

Journal Articles

Resource Sections

See also

  • Birch, William [and others], Melbourne's wildlife: a field guide to the fauna of greater Melbourne (Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing: Museum of Victoria, 2006), 348 pp. Details

Helen Cohn

Created: 8 October 2026

EOAS ID: biogs/P008169b.htm

This Edition: 2026 August - Bibliographies
Larneuk - Gariwerd calendar - Pre-spring: late July to August - season of nesting birds
Reference: https://www.bom.gov.au/resources/indigenous-weather-knowledge/indigenous-seasonal-calendars/gariwerd-calendar#bom-anchor-list__item-larneuk-season-of-nesting-birds

Publisher: Swinburne University of Technology.

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"... the rengitj, as a visible mark or imprint on the land, is characterised as a place of origin, the repository of all names, as well as a kind of mapped visual expression of the connection between people and places which is to be carried out in the temporal sequence of the journey." Fanca Tamisari (1998) 'Body, Vision and Movement: In the footprints of the ancestors'. Oceania 68(4) p260