Rene Chelton: Service Is Her Ace

The Sydney Sun-Herald described Rene Chelton, grandmother of three, as “one very fit bundle of dynamite.” She has also been referred to by her local press as “supersport.”

It’s easy to see why: In addition to scripture study and photography, she enjoys jogging, golf, swimming, and badminton. In 1979 she won the Australian Senior Women’s badminton title, the New South Wales Women’s singles title, and the Illawarra Open Women’s singles title (in which she defeated her daughter, Lorraine, for the third successive year), and was one of twenty-two athletes nominated for district Sports Star of the Year. She is also one of the few women’s grade “A” golfers, and in 1979 she won the Nett division of the Wollongong Golf Club Associates’ Championship in Australia.

It was through badminton that Rene initially came in contact with the missionaries. During a tournament in September 1956 in Newcastle, north of Sydney, she was invited to dinner at a home where the missionaries were boarding. “There was something special about them that appealed to me,” says Rene. Although she met with them several times after that, she did not join the Church then.

The turning point came in 1960, after her marriage to Ron Lowes and the birth of their daughter, Marilyn. Rene had been brought up to believe in Christian values, and she wanted to have the baby christened. About the same time, Elder John Lee Haslam and Elder Charles Marvin Reed called at the Lowes’s home. The seeds planted by the missionaries years before in Newcastle bore fruit, and Rene received a testimony that the gospel was true. “When we prayed with the missionaries that day, there were tears in my eyes,” she says. “Ron didn’t realize at the time how deeply I was touched, but a few days later he said he would rather have our daughter brought up in the LDS Church than in any of the Protestant churches.”

Although Ron didn’t join the Church until two years later, Rene wanted to be baptized almost immediately. “The missionaries taught the discussions over a six-month period,” she recalls, “and they never asked anyone to be baptized until after the discussions. I thought they would never ask me to be baptized!”

Rene had two distinct impressions at her baptism: “One, I felt I was of worth to my Father in Heaven; and two, I had come home.”

But Rene’s pathway has not always been bright. In 1963, Ron was afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis and was hospitalized for seventeen weeks. Later, he lost his job, and the family went through a series of financial difficulties. In 1967, Rene went to work part-time to supplement her husband’s meager disability pension. Then Ron experienced complications which eventually necessitated the removal of his legs. He died in 1977, leaving Rene to support their three teenage daughters. Rene had been working part-time at a large department store, and was then offered a full-time job there as an accountant, even though she had no official qualifications.

Rene went on to become administration manager, assistant manager, and acting store manager. But giving her daughters, Marilyn, Lorraine, and Kerrie, a loving home where they could feel the spirit of the gospel was Rene’s highest priority. She used any spare money to help her daughters develop their talents and abilities and prepare them to be capable mothers. Today, she feels great joy in her relationships with them and with her grandchildren.

In 1981, Rene married Jeff Chelton, a driving instructor and amateur photographer. So that she could share Jeff’s interest in photography, Rene joined a camera club. The first year, she won the club pointscore and a trophy for being the most improved photographer.

It was Rene’s example that interested Jeff in the Church. “The example that my wife set in her personal life had a tremendous impact on me,” he recalls. After five years of investigating the Church, Jeff was baptized the same year they were married.

Rene’s example has affected others, too. Through her, many family members, friends, neighbors, work associates, and people who share Rene’s interest in sports have heard much about the Church. Rene’s neighbor, Kim Fraser, not only joined the Church as a result of Rene’s missionary work, but also served a mission in California.

Rene feels the Lord has blessed her through times of success and during times of hardship. “My testimony is undeniable,” she says, “and my initial feelings of love for the restored gospel are even stronger today.”