Bria Lauren and Steven Fullagar
Profile
This is more than a profile: it’s a love story – a story of love sustained over a long separation and a distance of 10,000 miles. Bria Lauren and Steven Fullagar first met in 1991 at the age of 15 at a party in Buckinghamshire. They became best friends and their friendship gradually turned into love, despite the fact that three years later Bria had to return with her family to Australia, where she was born and had been raised (with interludes in Hong Kong) for the first ten years of her life.
Somehow, without the benefit of e-mail, Bria and Steven managed to sustain their relationship while they each finished their ‘A’ Level studies and went on to university: Steve to read Biochemistry and Physiology at Reading University, and Bria to study Music at Melbourne University. It was not until 1996 that they were reunited, when Bria returned to England to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. To cut a long story short, they were married in our chapel in July 2003 – after they had already been together for nearly 13 years.
Bria is a fifth-generation Australian, the eldest of six siblings. Her musical ability was evident from the age of 9, when her first composition was performed in a school play at the Hong Kong International School. In the sixth form of Dr Challoner’s High School for Girls in Little Chalfont, she played Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar, "and it opened up the world of musical theatre for me. I was hooked … Later at the Royal Academy I had only an academic appreciation of opera (and a natural inclination towards showing off) until an amazing experience in Italy, when I finally allowed opera to seep into my soul, and I really understood it from then on."
Bria graduated from the Academy in 2000 with a degree in performance and a diploma in the teaching of singing. For a year she sang with Abbey Opera, a student company, while studying for a Postgraduate Diploma in Voice at the Royal College of Music. Since then she has earned her living by teaching, by singing large roles with various small companies, and by performing in concerts. She also does charity concerts for an organisation called ‘Les Enfants du Romaine’, raising funds for an orphanage in Romania. ("I love playing my part in making a very direct improvement in the lives of the young children there.") Her favourite roles are those of Agathe in Der Freischutz ("a very spiritual character"), Violetta in La Traviata ("a big challenge"), and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor ("psychologically fascinating: she goes mad"). Bria invests much time in researching the historical context of the works in which she sings, and the psychological motivations of her characters. Steven says that she is "the ultimate, consummate professional".
Steven himself is a scientist (with a keen interest in music). After his first degree at Reading, he gained a BSc in Osteopathic Medicine and a diploma in Naturopathy at the British College of Osteopathic Medicine. (He describes naturopathy as a holistic approach to health which relies not on chemical interventions but on improved nutrition and exercise, plus massage and hydro-therapy.) He treats patients at the clinic that he set up (with the help of Bria) in Great Missenden in 2002, and he also has a satellite clinic in London. He runs a sports-injury clinic and provides first-aid pitch-side support for his local rugby club (Amersham and Chiltern RFC, for which he played until the age of 18). Steve says: "I always found science fascinating, and now I feel fortunate to combine it with my passion for helping people on an immediate level. Without the osteopathy degree, my career path would have probably led to a lab-based job with test tubes for company. Psychology has always fascinated me. I love sitting and watching people; Bria often kindly reminds me not to stare."
In their new home in Great Missenden, Steven is indulging his love of gardening and his interest in DIY renovation ("Bria is the brains and I am the brawn"). Bria does most of the admin work for Steve’s practices. She describes her spare-time activities as "reading any book that I can learn from … pontificating with friends, largely about the universe … and missing my family. When I have the opportunity to be with them, we spend our time playing music or writing music together or being together near the ocean, which is one of my most soul-nourishing experiences."
Their decision to get married, and their search to find somewhere meaningful for the ceremony, prompted Steven and Bria to clarify for themselves what was important to them in spiritual terms. By chance they found Manchester College Chapel, where (to quote Bria) "I soon realised that I had always been a ‘Unitarian’ without knowing it. I regard the Unitarian faith as the most effective representation of my own thoughts on the cosmos and the natural world, and my understanding of my own role within it. I feel that in a relatively short time I have gained a good understanding of Unitarian philosophy, partly because it was mine to begin with. I’ve found it a real comfort and inspiration to discover others who share something like my attitude to life."
Steven was raised as a nominal Anglican. He says: "As an attempt to be more religiously involved, I was confirmed at the age of 15 – which ironically pushed me further away, as I felt restricted by the church’s way of thinking and found its approach stale and stuffy. It didn’t encourage questions, a fact which clashed with my scientific education. Bria and I both knew instantly that the MCO chapel and Unitarianism fitted the gap in our lives. I feel I am still on a road to discovery, and I enjoy the Sunday sermons (or lectures, as I see them – I sometimes feel I ought to bring a notebook!). I now have a place that encourages more expansive thinking, which suits my scientifically oriented mind, and I look forward to where it might take me."
After reading this Profile you may feel as surprised as I was to realise that Steven and Bria are still only 30 years old. They have already accomplished so much in their lives, and they both have so much still to give to the world. Catherine Robinson September 2006