Background
The son of a teacher and postmaster (a man in charge of a post office) and one of nine children, he attended the Ballarat School of Mines and later won a scholarship to the University of Melbourne.
The son of a teacher and postmaster (a man in charge of a post office) and one of nine children, he attended the Ballarat School of Mines and later won a scholarship to the University of Melbourne.
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. However, he was after 53 days withdrawn from active service on the order of the Minister for Defence and assigned to the Munitions Branch, making explosives in Britain. 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 of Marmite had been disrupted in the aftermath of World War I. He experimented on spent brewer"s yeast and independently developed what came to be called Vegemite, first sold by Fred Walker & Company 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 Company Limited was established. Callister was appointed chief scientist and production superintendent of the new company.
Callister got his Doctorate from the University of Melbourne in 1931, with his submission largely based on his work in developing Vegemite. Callister died in 1949, following a heart attack and is buried at Box Hill Cemetery.
He was a prominent member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, helping it to get a Royal Charter in 1931.
