Cyril P. Callister Cyril P. Callister Cyril Percy Callister (16 February 1893 – 5 October 1949) was an Australian chemist and food technologist who developed the Vegemite yeast spread. The son of a teacher and postmaster, and one of seven 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. After 53 days, however, he
Second Australian Imperial Force in the United Kingdom bases in the Red Sea due to the risk of attack, and the possibility of it becoming difficult to send supplies from the UK to equip units in the Middle East. In response, the Australian Government directed that Convoy US 2 be held at Colombo and US 3 at Fremantle until it received advice on the war situation from the British and Australian Chiefs of Staff. The government had a strong preference for the AIF to be concentrated in a single location, so it could fight under Australian command. The Australian Chiefs of Staff initially supported the proposal to send