One thing you certainly can’t say about Euroa and its surrounds is that there’s nothing to do. For a relatively small country town, Euroa has a remarkable plethora of clubs, organisations, and activities offering opportunities for people to get involved, meet others, and pursue their interests. There are service clubs such as Rotary and Lions, sporting clubs, as well as a wonderful variety of community organisations, such as Chatty Cafe and Women 4 Community, providing valuable opportunities for friendship, social interaction and connection. Those with a creative streak can enjoy art and craft groups, music, singing, and amateur theatre, and of course U3A offers an ever-growing range of opportunities for learning and keeping active and engaged. The list goes on - and now there is another name to add to it. Euroa Board Games is one of the town’s newest groups, meeting every second Thursday evening from 6pm at the 3rd Age Club in Kirkland Avenue. The group has been started by local resident Mel Finnigan, who knows from experience just how successful a simple gathering around a table and a few board games can become. Before coming to Euroa, Mel established a board games group in Geelong, which - from its modest beginning with just three people - now boasts a Facebook group of around 300 members. More important than the numbers was the sense of community that developed around it. “It is a much-loved group, really community oriented, because everybody is welcome,” Mel said. Mel has decided to try the idea again - although she laughingly admits there was also a slightly selfish motivation. “I love board games and I want to play, so I need other people to play with,” she said. But behind that is a very simple idea: board games provide an opportunity for people of any age and from different backgrounds to come together, switch off from the outside world, and enjoy each other’s company. “It’s just something that people of all ages can sit down and do - spend a couple of hours and have fun” Mel said. Anyone whose idea of board games begins and ends with Monopoly and Scrabble may be in for a surprise. Neither is likely to make an appearance. Instead, the group is introducing players to a whole new generation of games - some very easy to learn and others requiring a little more thought and strategy. Among the games are Catan, Splendor, Qwirkle and the wonderfully named Cockroach Poker. Mel says Catan is a particularly good introduction to the style of games the group enjoys. There is “a little bit of strategy, a little bit of thinking”, while other games are much simpler and can be picked up and played almost immediately. Mel hopes people will master these games and gradually become confident enough to tackle the more complex strategic ones. And therein lies much of the appeal: there is always another game to discover, another strategy to try, and another opportunity to laugh when somebody’s carefully constructed plan goes spectacularly wrong. Euroa Board Games provides locals with a reason to get out of the house, talk, laugh, and make new friends. You don’t have to be an experienced gamer or a brilliant strategist - just come along and have a go. And if Mel’s experience in Geelong is anything to go by, those first few people gathering around a table in Euroa could be the beginning of something much bigger. Every second Thursday evening from 6pm at the 3rd Age Club. To get involved, contact Mel Finnigan on 0417 416 121, visit facebook.com/groups/euroaboardgames or just come along on Thursday 3 September.
