They describe themselves as a club providing non-sport geek subculture activities - but in reality Room at the table, or RATT as they prefer to be called, is much more.
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A social club, a not-for-profit that provides an inclusive, safe space for people of all ages, a podcasting and online role-play and board-game studio
It's a place where you can challenge the best in the area at trading card games or get some help perfecting that cosplay outfit you've been working on.
On Saturday RATT invited Benalla Mayor Danny Claridge, Gliding Club of Victoria president Matt Woodhouse, and The Ensign to come and have a tour of its new premises - in the Benalla Gliding Centre.
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The occasion was meant to mark the group's grand re-opening at its new venue.
However, because of to COVID-19 restrictions it was more of a meet and greet while the group showed off its new home to the public.
The official opening has now been moved to the Weekend of Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1.
RATT founder Carla Gardner said the club had had a couple of names in its time, starting off as Tabletop Games at NEA, before changing to Benalla Wizards.
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She said the name change was about making the club more inclusive as with its online set-up, it could now include players who were not based in Benalla.
“The idea for RATT grew from the fact that I have three autistic children who were looking for something to do, something they found interesting,” Ms Gardner said.
“They didn't want to play soccer or football, or go to little aths.
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“Being on the Autism spectrum can make you very anxious, and it can also make you have a lot of sensory issues, making noise and crowds difficult.
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“So we though, well, we like playing board games, I wonder if there’s other people who like playing board games?”
As it turns out there are, and despite growing from a subculture this type of club and its activities are enjoyed by many millions of people around the globe - and it turns out many of those live in Victoria's north east.
Ms Gardner said it was nice to see the growth of members who, at first, might not interact with others, but over time became more comfortable and forged great friendships with other members.
The group has been operating thanks to the generosity of club members bringing their own games along.
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However, thanks to a generous Benalla Rural City Council grant it has been able to purchase a number of games, as well as set up a digital studio.
That has allowed them to start a podcast, and also connects people who want to take part, but cannot get to the club.
It has also allowed the club to operate some games during COVID-19 restrictions.
The club's move to new premises was forced on them when NEA moved location, which is when Benalla Rural City stepped in to help.
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“Catherine McMillan, from Benalla Rural City, mentioned that the Gliding Club had space available and it all started from there" Ms Gardner said.
Benalla Mayor Danny Claridge said council considered it extremely important that it looked after community groups.
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“Particularly non-sporting groups,” Cr Claridge said
“There is a lot of options for people to play sport. But if you're not into sport what do you do?
“And this is a perfect example of entertainment that people can have without playing sport.”
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Mr Woodhouse said the rooms had been empty for some time and the club had been looking for a community group to utilise them
“We are pleased to see the spare space we had available now being used by the RATT community group as their new home” Mr Woodhouse said.
Ms Gardner said the club would be running various activates throughout the week and at weekends.
“There is no official sign up and we encourage anyone who would like to take part to come along,” she said.”
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“We would like to thank everyone who has assisted our move including Benalla Rural City Council, the Gliding Club of Victoria, Tomorrow Today Foundation, Waminda Community House, the RATT Committee and all the volunteers involved.”
She said keep an eye on the group's Facebook page @RoomAtTheTableInc, for its upcoming schedule. Alternatively you can email benalla@roomatthetable.org.au or phone 0413 002 007.
The plans for the opening weekend are:
Saturday, July 31:
● 10am-1pm Costuming - come and make horn accessories● 2pm-5pm D&D One Shots and Character Creation● 6pm-11pm Modern Boardgames
Also available throughout the day: costume display and modern boardgames to play in the side room.
Sunday, August 1:
● 10am-1pm Trading Card Games - learn to play casual Magic: the Gathering and casual Yu-Gi-Oh.● 2pm-6pm Modern Boardgames
Also available throughout the day: costume display, casual trading card games and modern boardgames to play in the side room
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