The Jungle Storyteller (1894-1982)
Eric Burnham Hare was a gifted storyteller, musician, and pioneer missionary who spent nearly two decades among the Karen people of Burma on the banks of the Salween River, then devoted the second half of his career to inspiring Adventist young people through his remarkable ability to tell character-building stories. He wrote thirteen books, recorded hundreds of stories for children, and served in the Sabbath School Department at the General Conference from 1946 to 1962.
An Australian Preacher’s Son
Eric was born on October 12, 1894, in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, the second son of Pastor Robert and Henrietta Hare. At Fitzroy School in Melbourne, he formed a lifelong friendship with Roy Allan Anderson, who would later serve as a renowned international evangelist. Eric graduated from the missionary course at Avondale in 1911 and the biblical-academic course in 1913.
In the summer of 1911, he began denominational service as tentmaster for E. B. Rudge and Harold Lukens in Port Pirie. He later recalled: “Brother Rudge and Brother Lukens did the preaching, and I gave the Bible studies. All I had to do was to sweep and dust the tent, distribute the handbills, play the organ, and lead the music.”
Marriage and Appointment
On June 24, 1915, Eric married Agnes Fulton, daughter of pioneer missionaries Pastor and Mrs. J. E. Fulton. Agnes was born in Bishop, California, on November 9, 1893. Both trained in nursing at the Sydney Sanitarium before departing for Burma on September 23, 1915.
Missionary Work in Burma
Their first two years were consumed with language study. Eric and Agnes both received over ninety percent in their Karen examinations; the examiner told Eric he had received the highest marks of any missionary he had ever tested. A gifted musician, Eric established a brass band using instruments collected from churches across Australia and New Zealand — a novelty that attracted widespread interest.
The Hares were stationed at Kamamaung on the Salween River. J. E. Fulton described the isolation: “The thick jungle abounds in wild animals. Last night we could hear the monkeys in one part and the little barking deer in another. Every night fires are kept burning in the shed or the mission bullockpen to keep the tigers away.”
The early years tested their faith. C. L. Torrey recounted: “Brother Hare reviewed to us the early beginnings of his work, and recalled how discouraged he became during the first three years of his labours at Kamamaung and in the outlying districts, struggling along during this time without a single baptism. He baptised his first convert the following year.”
Family
Five children were born in Burma. Their first child, Rosalind Agnes, died June 23, 1917, just nineteen days after birth. Four more followed: Eileen Nita, Leonard, Verna Mae, and Peter. In 1919, Eric was ordained to the gospel ministry at Ranchi, India.
Departure and Return
After eighteen years on the Salween River, the Hares departed Burma on April 12, 1934, leaving behind a church of 122 members and eight Sabbath Schools with 340 members. In 1941, they returned to Burma but were forced to evacuate during the Japanese bombing of 1942. Eric made a hazardous overland journey to safety before reuniting with his family.
General Conference Service
At the 1946 General Conference session, Eric was called as associate secretary of the Sabbath School Department. Shortly after, their eldest daughter Eileen died in a road accident at Van Horn, Texas, while on furlough from India with her husband Ivan Higgins. Eric gave specific attention to the role of Sabbath School in child development — his work was a forerunner of the Children’s Ministries Department. He continued until retirement in 1962, then met nearly eight hundred speaking appointments over fourteen years.
Published Works
Eric’s thirteen books include Clever Queen, Curse-Proof, Dr. Rabbit, Fulton’s Footprints in Fiji, Fuzzy Wuzzy Tales, Jungle Heroes and Other Stories, Jungle Stories, Jungle Storyteller, Make God First, Skyscrapers: 365 Stories That Build You Up, Those Juniors, Treasure from the Haunted Pagoda, and Fullness of Joy.
Death and Legacy
Eric Hare died on June 1, 1982, in Washington, D.C. Agnes died on April 25, 1983, in Berrien Springs, Michigan. The Karen Adventist community the Hares helped establish has endured through decades of upheaval in Myanmar, and Karen Adventists worldwide trace their spiritual heritage to the young Australian couple who arrived on the Salween River in 1915.
