Hay River (May 17/04) - Two well-known residents of Hay River are returning to their New Zealand homeland.

Peter Watt and his wife, Rosina Currie, have lived in Hay River for about four years.

Peter Watt

Watt founded the town's Rotary Club and served as its president. He was also the marketing and communication officer with the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC).

Currie, who returned to New Zealand in January, was the supervisor of the Hay River Medical Clinic.

"It's been fantastic," Watt said of the couple's time in the NWT. "We've had a wonderful time over the last four years."

Watt was born in Toronto, but grew up in New Zealand from the time he was an infant.

"I always had the ambition to come and work in the country where I was born," he said May 13, his second-last day at NTPC.

Watt will be returning to the New Zealand capital of Wellington, where he will work with the national government developing renewable energy and promoting energy conservation.

The decision to return to New Zealand was largely personal, since the couple's family still lives there.

No replacement has yet been named for Watt at NTPC.