Australia's first Movietone News truck

In March 1929, reports were appearing in Australian newspapers of the first sound and talking films to be produced in Australia by the end of the year. Stanley S Crick, a film producer who was manager of Fox Movietone Ltd and the Fox Film Corporation at the time and later became known for entering politics, made the announcement also saying that the first Australian productions would be gazettes. He stated that the equipment for producing such films would arrive in Australia within three or four months, and that it would be 'handled by Australian staff and be taken around Australia on a special truck' ['The Daily News', 15 March 1929, p 8].

On 8 August that year, the first Fox Movietone sound truck arrived in Sydney from San Francisco on board SS SIERRA to facilitate the making of the 'Fox Movietone Talkie Gazette'. According to 'The Sydney Morning Herald', the Aero Club arranged for aeroplanes to meet the steamer upon its arrival in Watsons Bay, to escort it to Circular Quay and welcome Stanley Crick.