Vegemite still spreading cheer

14 October 2008

Jamie Callister’s mum used to baste roasts and make gravy with Vegemite to feed his father’s addiction.

“Dad was right into Vegemite – thick as you like on just about anything that moved,” he recalls.

When Mr Callister’s father was a young fella, his dad would bring jars of Vegemite home and the family would sit around the kitchen table eating it and laughing.

Bill Callister was the original happy, er, little vegemite.

He was also a guinea pig.

Bill’s father was Dr Cyril Callister, the skilled chemist and food technologist who invented Vegemite in 1924 and tested it on his family.

Eighty-four years on, and the brand which has become an Australian icon, is still going strong.

Mr Callister, of Noosa, was at Noosa Surf Life Saving Club on Saturday, to celebrate Vegemite’s billionth sale.

He delivered a speech on behalf of his family.

His grandfather, who died before he was born, would be pleased.

“Dad used to talk about him a lot,” Mr Callister said.

“He used to say how proud he was of him.

“I think he’d (Dr Callister) be amazed by the billionth sale. The sheer volume of production is staggering.

“I’m obviously very proud.”

Mr Callister’s family joined him at Saturday’s ceremony, in which a commemorative billionth jar made entirely out of precious metals, including 22 and 18 carat gold, was unveiled.

Appropriately, and perhaps predictably, there is always a jar of Vegemite in the Callister home.

He said his kids, Sophie, 14, Nick, 12, and Lucy, 10, loved it.

And by the way, the Callister Vegemite recipes are still in use.

Recent Comments

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Posted by glenvic from Windsor Downs

on 16 October, 2008 at 8 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

I'm not surprised that Jamie Callister's dad (Vegemite still spreading cheer) was addicted to Vegemite. I am addicted to it myself as my mum, in the belief that is was a very healthy product, fed it to me from an early age. However, my understanding is that it is manufactured from a by product of brewers yeast. I imagine that is why it is mildly addictive. As i best recall it also contains a high proportion of salt. Good for vitamin B perhaps but maybe it is not such a healthy product after all.

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