The first club meeting was held in 1914 at the house of one Izak Fredericks on the farm De Zoete Inval in Southern Paarl. Some of the founder members were John (Hennie) Hendricks, Hermanus (Manie) Rhode, Willie Meyer and Marthinus Solomons.

As a result of the fast growing membership a bigger gathering place had to be found and it was decided to move to the Wagon house (a veranda under which a horse cart was parked)of uncle Hennie Hendricks in South Street, Southern Paarl.

The problem of a practice- and playing field was solved when the directors of H. Jones and Co (the Jam factory in Jones Street, today known as Tiger Brands) decided to make a piece of land available to the Club. This piece of land was part of a large pine forest (where Paarl Shopping Mall is today). Once again the factory bosses stepped in and had an area, the size of a rugby field, cleared of the trees. The cleared area was however not large enough to erect toilets and dressing rooms, so players and spectators alike had to relief themselves in the surrounding forest. This same pine forest also had an influence on the name and colours of the Club as it is today. Rangers can be translated to Afrikaans as ""wagters"" (somebody that stands guard), and the green of the pine trees simbolizes the green jerseys in which we play.

Due to circumstances, some of which were unforeseen, the meeting place was moved many times: from the Wagonhouse it moved to Bathesda school, then to a cafee in Louws Avenue and after that to the house of Paul Carelse in South Street. Then the Group Areas Act was passed and because of the forced removal of people of colour from the area, the Club once again had to find a new place to hold meetings and we ended up holding our meetings in a pre-school classroom at Bethel Congregational Church in Evan Street. At first this forced move from Southern Paarl to Paarl East was thought might cause the Club to break up, but in hind sight it was a blessing in disguise, as the Club gained more talented players and officials and it started to grow into a formidable unit.
Since its inception in 1914, the Club had many capable leaders. Here we think of men like Matewis Solomons, Robert Meyer, Hermanus Rhode, Paul Carelse, Sammy Andrews, Hennie, Philip and Barnard Benjamin. Discipline was the most notable feature of the Club and there was a great respect shown to the ""men behind the table.""

Sam (Sammy) Andrews was one of those stall warths that also played a pivotal part in the Club's rise to glory, both as an administrator and as a player. During the 1940 glory years, Sam Andrews was part of the unbeaten third team and in 1946 he was part of the Executive when the third team was once again victorious. In 1948 when the 3rd team won the league knock-out trophy and the 1st team were winners of the Board Shield, Sam Andrews was the Chairman of the Club.

Players had to pay a weekly subscription fee of one tickey (two and a half cents) otherwise they could not receive compensation of five sjielings (fifty cents) per week in the event of a injury sustained during a rugby match. The Club also paid their doctors account in full.

THE PLAYING FIELD

In the beginning, Rangers was a member of the Paarl Coronation Union and later on the Progressive Union which also included Wellington. With the inception of the Paarl Rugby Union, the Club also joined and in 1992 all Paarl rugby clubs joined the Western Province Rugby Union, of which they are still members today.
Over the years the Club reached great heights, but it also had its low points like in 1999 when the Club was heavily fined by the W.P.R.U. because it is alleged that our spectators had assaulted a referee after a match played at the City Park Rugby Grounds.

EARLY HIGHLIGHTS

1922 : won Senior trophy
1929-1930 : won Knockout and District Cups
1931 : won Hospital Cup
1940 : Third team Victorious and they also won the Hospital cup in the 2nd team division
1945 : First team won the Council Trophy (Three year trophy) and the Club gets to keep it.
This trophy is still in the Club's possession. The Sportman of the Year Trophy.
1946 : Third Team Victorious and won all three trophy on offer.
1947 : Second Team loses only one match.
1953 : First Team loses only two matches. Scores 204 points and concedes only 43.
1960 : Third Team won all the trophies in their division.
1999 : all three teams won the two trophies they played for in the W.P.R.U competition.

A person that played a very big part in the successes of the Club on the rugby field, was the late Mr. William Cupido, former principal of Bethesda Primary school in Southern Paarl. ""Meester"" Cupido was a master of the game of rugby and his coaching of the school's team and also the first team of the Club was outstanding. He turned down offers to become a selector for the Paarl Union, because it would have meant he had to stop coaching the Club and that he did not want to do. Discipline was very important and players were monitored, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings.

RUGBY ON HIGHER THAN CLUB LEVEL
South African Team: Philip Olivier, Kosie America, Frank Marquard, Morris Adams and Japie McKlein. This team toured throughout South Africa.

Federation Team (Proteas): Moos Marquard and Adam Dombas both played in four matches for the Proteas: on 19 August 1967 in Paarl, 22 August 1970 in Port Elizabeth, 21 August 1971 in Athlone Stadion and on 1 October 1977 in Paarl.
A reporter on the match in Athlone stadion reported as such: "" The Proteas started with the breeze at their backs and were the first to score when Adam Dombas charged down an attempted clearance by Norman Mbiko for Moos Marquard to score.""

W.P. League Team: John (Joey) Kulsen (vice captain) - 1953; Sidney America - 1968

Boland Regional Team: Adam Dombas (c), Moos Marquard, Isaac Kulsen and Frank Pikaan. This team won the Golden Cup in the final in Oudtshoorn.

W.P Region-, Disa- and Development Teams: Granville (Gabba) Jones - 1992 - 1993: Development Team; 1994: Disa Team.

W.P Regional Team: Granville Jones, Eugene Stevens and Carlo Carollisen

Paarl Union: In 1953 the Union B team won the Flag Trophy under the captaincy of Japie (oom Boy) Goliath.
In 1958 the Union A team shared the Van Riebeeck Trophy with Bellville Union and Rangers players in that team were: Sydney America, Eddie Kulsen, Robbie Bouwers, Jappa Lamberts and John (Joey) Kulsen (c)

In so much as the Club produced such great players and impressive achievements, there were a host of players that never got to shine on the big stage, but were just as influential in writing this proud history.

Here we think of men like Boeta Lammie, Uncle Gaybs (the Jonkers brothers), Simon Hardine, aka Gebraaides, Jannie Riddles. Not forgetting Hector (Hekkie) Bitterhout and Aiden Lamberts, who was on the reserve bench for the Proteas in the 1970's against the Brittish Lions.

Also we had the Francis brothers. Peter (Wheto). Abraham (Kylo), Morris (Mosie), Anthony (Entie), and Rudolph (Boere). They had the distinction of being the first and only set of 5 brothers to play together in a first team for the Club.

VISTING TEAMS FROM OUTSIDE PAARL

In the past the Club used to play friendly matches against clubs from outside Paarl and also hosted many other teams. Some of the places we visited were Caledon, Hermanus, Bredasdorp, Heidelberg, Donkergat (where we visited a whaling factory), Upington, King Williams Town and Johannesburg. Here in Johannesburg we were the first Coloured group that was allowed to go underground into the mines. This visit was made possible by the late Reverend Glynne whose daughter was at school in Paarl. The reverend saw Rangers as his club and even though he had stayed in the then Transvaal (now Gauteng) he become an Honorary member of the Club.

THE WOMAN'S COMMITEE

It is said that behind every successful man, there stands a woman. Many of the successes of the Club can be attributed to the women that stood steadfast behind the Club and who were always willing to lend a helping hand, especially when it came to organizing functions. Right from the beginning the wives of the members started with fundraising efforts for the benefit of the Club. However it was in 1964 that a group of women decided to form a Committee to drive the Club's 50th anniversary celebrations in the Town Hall. As far as could be established the committee comprised the following people: Daisy Petersen (convener), Nella Plaatjies, Maria Carelse, Alice Fortuin, Regina Ockert, Katy Scheffers, Christina Benjamin, Dinah Lamberts, Annie (Tonie) Jacobs (Dombas), Mary Olivier, Caroline (Lanie) Filander, Eileen Plaatjies (April), Elizabeth Samaai. As the years passed, some of the older members either retired of passed away, but their places were filled by younger woman among which were, Louisa Plaatjies, Emelda and Andrewhetta van Reenen and Rosetta and Petro Carollisen.




An Era has ended...by Adrian M. Dombas
19 May 2012 will signal the end of an era in the history of Paarl Rangers, but also usher in the new and yet uncertain future. On this day Paarl Rangers returns to the Paarl Region after playing its rugby in the club competition of the WPRU for many years.

For some, a sad day. For others exciting times to come.

The era that has come to an end, is the era of players like Granville Jones, Eugene Stevens, John (Barnes) Filander, Johannes (Baby) van Reenen, Nichol van Reenen, Adrian Dombas, Claude Voss, Marshall Lategan, Japie van Rooyen, to name but a few. These guys were the ground breakers of the modern day Paarl Rangers, for it is they, that went out to take on some of the fiercest teams in the suburbs of Cape Town and came out victorious. Think about teams like Primrose, Young Stars, Progress and of course, Rangers from Surrey Estate. Who will ever forget that epic match. On the field our players were taking a beating and on the touchline some of our spectators also has to bear the brunt of the violent spectators from Rangers. And yet we never took one step back, we never gave in and lay down, we never strayed from our path, the path of representing the team in Green and White from Paarl.

Ultimately Paarl Rangers not only won that match, but also the respect of all of Surrey Estate. For they had done the unthinkable. They did not back down.

Many of those ground breakers has passed away or moved on and we need to salute them for their contributions towards making Paarl Rangers the proud Club we are. Here names like Xolile (Kenny) Kollie and Dan Paulse immediately springs to mind.

The cord that held these players together, was an undying belief and trust in one another. And we never backed down in the face of adversity.

The young guns that need to start firing now in this new era they are entering, have to quickly realize the enormous load that has been placed on their shoulders. They now will have to forge out a name for themselves. Now is the time for them to stand up and be counted. For they will now have to carry the torch for Paarl Rangers and keep that flame burning bright.

One thing that we can hopefully pass on to them is: ""Be Fearless in what you do on the playing field, be Faithful to your Colours and NEVER BACK DOWN! No matter what the odds.