Sir Paulias Nguna Matane (21 September 1931 – 12 December 2021) was a Papua New Guinean politician who served as the eighth Governor-General of Papua New Guinea from 29 June 2004 to 13 December 2010. His memoir My Childhood in New Guinea has been on the school curriculum since the 1970s. He was a long-time contributor and columnist for The National. Biography Personal life Matane was born on 21 September 1931 in Viviran village, Vunadidir-Toma Rural LLG, East New Britain Province. He was a Tolai, a native speaker of Kuanua, and a staunch United Churchman. He wrote 44 books which deliberately use extremely simple English, focusing in part on his own overseas travels, including three on the State of Israel. His writing is intended to persuade Papua New Guineans that books are a useful source of information and that they should not regard them as something only for foreigners. For many years Matane wrote a column in the Malaysian Chinese-owned newspaper The National, containing advice for the younger generation. He also founded the United News Agency of Melanesia. He, together with Grand Chief the Right Honourable Michael Somare, made a point of wearing a lap-lap (skirt) rather than trousers. He was married to Lady Kaludia Matane who served her country with "great distinction" and died on 20 December 2016. Education and early career Matane attended Toma Village Higher (later Tauran Primary) School and then Keravat High School. Beginning in 1956 he studied at Sogeri Teachers' College and from 1963 he attended Port Moresby Teachers' College and Mendi for Inspector’s Theoretical and Practical Training. At the end of his training he worked as an inspector of schools. Ambassador to the United States and United Nations Matane served as the first Papua New Guinean Ambassador to the United States in the years 1975–76 following the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He was also PNG's Ambassador to the United Nations from 1975 and in 1979 was elected as a vice-president of the General Assembly. In the mid-1980s he was Secretary of Papua New Guinea's Foreign Affairs Department and led delegations to Australia to discuss that country's foreign aid to PNG and negotiated with Indonesia regarding border incursions and refugee problems. Governor-General Matane was elected Governor-General by Parliament on 27 May 2004, receiving 50 votes, while his opponent, Sir Pato Kakeraya received 46 votes. Attempts to elect a Governor-General had failed