31/05/2025
Tribute to Ma Hunte – A Life Poured Out in Service
This Sabbath is a heavy one. Our hearts are burdened by the loss of yet another beloved soldier of the Academy — Ma Hunte, as we all affectionately called her. But to simply call her an educator would be to underestimate the depth of her influence.
Vera Brice Hunte was not just a teacher — she was an institution.
A woman of excellence, dignity, and deep devotion, she shaped minds and molded character, not merely through lectures and lessons, but through love, discipline, and a Christ-centered life. She was, in every sense, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian educator to the bone.
Her teaching surpassed the boundaries of syllabi and examinations. Her classroom was not confined to four walls. It was a library, a launchpad, a counseling office, and for many — a sanctuary. She made learning come alive, not only with content, but with conviction.
She was a stickler for excellence. Students did not enter her class late. If a heading wasn’t correct, she “dunked the work” — no questions asked. She was a no-nonsense teacher who made both students and teachers tremble when she corrected — and yet, we all came back for more. For her advice. For her guidance. For her love. And yes — for her food.
Technology was one of her favorite tools. She pushed both students and teachers to embrace what was available. In her eyes, no excuse was good enough to remain uninformed or unprepared. You had to know how to make use of what was available. Her classroom became a tech lab, a creative space, and a preparation ground for life.
But her teaching didn’t stop with the mind — it extended to the stomach too. She loved to cook — healthy meals, deliciously prepared and generously shared. Her home overflowed with food supplies: tins, packets, fruits — always more than she needed. And so, naturally, we all had to help her use them up.
Her home was not just a place to visit — it was a camp site, especially during Fifth Form Study Camp. There, she was the cook, the counsellor, the teacher, the mother — all wrapped in one.
“The greatest want of the world is the want of men — men who will not be bought or sold... men who are true and honest in the inmost soul.”
— Ellen G. White, Education, p. 57
In Ma Hunte, we saw such a woman.
"My Maker and My King, to Thee my all I owe" — she sang it with reverence, and she lived it with grace. Her love for the Master Teacher was visible in her every action. Her walk with Christ was not only personal, it was powerful — and those who passed through her hands could not help but be touched by it.
Ma Hunte did not just mean Mrs. Hunte. It meant Mother Hunte — and we were her children. Her students. Her colleagues. Her family in the faith.
The Academy has lost yet another soldier. But we are comforted to know that in heaven she is recorded as a faithful servant — one who labored long, loved deeply, and lived completely for Christ.
Her work, her wisdom, and her warmth will live on in every life she touched. And though we grieve, we do not sorrow as those without hope. For we take comfort in the blessed assurance that she died loving the Master Teacher, the One whom she so faithfully served.
Until we meet again — at Jesus’ feet.