 The newsreel connected country audiences with news of the day, including their first close-up view of a newly elected national leader or Australia's latest sporting hero.However, the advent of television during the mid-1950s began to erode attendance at cinemas – although this change was not as immediate in country areas as in the larger towns and cities.For almost three generations, a pair of Simplex 35 mm projectors, manufactured in the early 1930s, coupled with Western Electric sound units, provided Majestic Picture Theatre patrons with high quality and reliable exhibition until 1984.