Cyril Percy Callister (16 February 1893 – 5 October 1949) was an Australian

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe ...

and food technologist who developed the Vegemite yeast spread. As well as Vegemite, he is known for his contributions towards processed cheese.

Early life

Cyril Percy Callister was born on 16 February 1893, in

Chute, Victoria Chute is a locality in central Victoria, Australia. The locality is in the Shire of Pyrenees local government area, west of the state capital, Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and mo ...

near

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

, son of Rosetta Anne (née Dixon) and William Hugh Callister, a teacher and postmaster. The second son of seven children, he attended the

Ballarat School of Mines The University of Ballarat, Australia was a dual-sector university with multiple campuses in Victoria, Australia, including its main Ballarat campus, Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide that were authorized by the university to provide diploma, unde ...

and Grenville College, and later won a scholarship to the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

. He gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1914 and a Master of Science degree in 1917. In early 1915, Callister was employed by food manufacturer Lewis & Whitty, but later that year he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. After 53 days, however, he was withdrawn from active service on the order of the Minister for Defence and assigned to the Munitions Branch, making explosives in Britain due to his knowledge of chemistry. He worked on munitions in England, Wales, and then in Scotland, at HM Factory Gretna where he worked as a shift chemist. Whilst at Gretna he was elected as an Associate of the Institute of Chemistry in 1918. Following the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he met and married Scottish girl Katherine Hope Mundell and returned to Australia and resumed employment with Lewis & Whitty in 1919.

The invention of Vegemite

In the early 1920s, Callister was employed by Fred Walker and given the task of developing a yeast extract, as imports from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

of Marmite had been disrupted in the aftermath of

. He experimented on spent

brewer's yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitu ...

and independently developed what came to be called Vegemite, first sold by Fred Walker & Co in 1923. Working from the details of a James L. Kraft patent, Callister was successful in producing processed cheese. The Walker Company negotiated a deal for the rights to manufacture the product, and in 1926, the Kraft Walker Cheese Co. was established. Callister was appointed chief scientist and production superintendent of the new company.

Children

Between 1919 and 1927 the Callisters had three children: Ian, Bill and Jean, who were the original Vegemite kids. During World War II Ian died.

Later life

Callister got his Doctorate from the University of Melbourne in 1931, with his submission largely based on his work in developing Vegemite. He was a prominent member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, helping it to get a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1931. Callister died at his home in Wellington Street, Kew, Melbourne in 1949, following a heart attack and is buried at Box Hill Cemetery. He had a history of heart attacks, with his first occurring in late 1939. His estate was valued for probate at £45,917.

Legacy

A biography of Callister, ''The Man Who Invented Vegemite'', written by his grandson Jamie Callister, was published in 2012. Callister is the great uncle to

Kent Callister Kent Callister (born 9 November 1995 in San Diego) is an Australian snowboarder. He has competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. His great-grandfather's second cousin, Cyril P. Callister, invented Vegemite Vegemite ( ) is a thick, ...

, a professional snowboarder who has competed at the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

for Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Callister, Cyril 1893 births 1949 deaths Australian chemists 20th-century Australian inventors University of Melbourne alumni Federation University Australia alumni Burials at Box Hill Cemetery Food chemists People from Victoria (Australia) 20th-century Australian scientists