INUVIK - Premier Floyd Roland swept through town like Santa Claus, to bring the gift of memories to the North.

Roland brought a book that was recently published, which recalls the past 40 years of government in the North.

Premier Floyd Roland was in Inuvik to launch a book honouring the past 40 years of the Government in the North. The book was unveiled at an event on Dec. 20. Here, Roland poses with the Sir Alexander Mackenzie school student council. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

The book is titled Challenge, Change and Commitment; Reflecting on 40 years of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

The meeting room at Tonimoe's restaurant was packed with well wishers and other guests to the Dec. 20 event.

Roland started the book launch by thanking the people for coming and giving a bit of background on how the book came to be.

"We're looking at the history of the Northwest Territories," he said.

Roland explained that the book starts with the years when the first bit of power was transferred to the North from Ottawa.

"This book is the result of many departments in government working together for the past year to gather this information," said Roland.

The student council of Sir Alexander Mackenzie school was in attendance, escorted by school administrators and teachers.

Roland said the book will serve as a good way to remember the years gone by.

"It will be good for reminiscing and sharing old stories," he said.

The guests who were invited to the event were also featured in the book.

"You can see photos of some of the people who made the North what it is," he said.

The premier added that the book will also show the hard work and dedication that went into shaping the North.

"It's about recognizing the people who did what they have done to get us where we are today," he said.

Roland thinks the book is important to the North because it is a way to hand down knowledge.

"If you look at our cultures and histories, they are passed down generation to generation," he said.

"It's all done verbally, through the sharing and telling of stories."

Taking cue from other Northern organizations and groups that are logging their records in books, the GNWT is doing the same.

"A lot of organizations are putting their history on paper," he said.

"There's not too many places in Canada where you can look at, for example, all the premiers that were a part of the territories and that are still in the North."

The book is being distributed to communities, schools, libraries and government offices in the new year.