rewriting the Australian Safety Standards for children's clothing following his work on fabric flammability.
In the late 1950s, Tom Pressley managed the fledgling Australian Wool Testing Authority, based on the Parkville site, pending the appointment of a full-time manager.
He was awarded a PhD, by the University of Melbourne, for his work on the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in airborne particles in hospital wards, which proved that woollen blankets were not responsible as previously alleged (see the Softly detergent story).
For his sustained contributions to scientific research he was awarded Membership of the Order of Australia in 1976.
Rivett DE, Ward CW, Belkin LM, Ramshaw JAM, Wilshire JFK, 1996, The Lennox Legacy – A History of the CSIRO Laboratory at 343 Royal Parade Parkville, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, pp.370.
Tom Pressley worked wonders with wool.