Cheese Club of Australia (Melbourne Branch)

Description

Agent TypeOrganisationActivities & OccupationsClubs, social and culturalHistoryThe Cheese Club of Australia Melbourne Branch was formed in August 1969 by a group of people associated with the dairy section of the CSIRO and Dan Murphy's Cellar, Chapel Street, Prahran. Its purpose was to promote a wider interest in all types of cheese at a time when cheese types were very restricted in Australia. In this it had the backing of the Australian Dairy Board. Members met regularly to enjoy and discuss the consumption of cheeses but were conscious in the early days of the club that local cheeses were of little variety, and their quality in most cases was not comparable with imported types. Import tariffs, the club maintained, did not motivate local producers to diversify into quality products to match overseas cheeses and made them expensive on the Australian market. In 1982 the club made submissions to the Industry Assistance Commission on this matter and in time the treatment of the industry was modified, imports of good foreign cheese increased and Australian production of competive high quality cheeses was established, with benefit to both producers and consumers. It appears that having achieved its basic goals, interest in the Melbourne branch fell away to such an extent that it was wound up in 2002.

Accession

University of Melbourne Archives

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Cheese Club of Australia (Melbourne Branch)