Meet Thushy – Design and Projects Engineer

Published on 05 August 2026

Thushy Ananthalingam - Design and Projects Engineer

From roads and bridges to drainage and community facilities, Thushy helps design and deliver the infrastructure that supports everyday life across the Warrumbungle Shire.

What are your main roles and responsibilities?
As my job title suggests, my role has two main areas of responsibility. The first is developing designs for civil and structural infrastructure, including road geometry, waterway structures and drainage systems, as well as concept designs for buildings and other community facilities.

The second is managing the construction of these projects from the initial planning stage through to completion, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget and in accordance with the required standards and regulations.

What's one thing people might be surprised to learn about your job or service?
Community expectations, regulatory requirements and the available budget often compete with one another because they don't always align. Finding a practical solution that balances all of these factors and meets the needs of different stakeholders can be one of the most challenging parts of the job.

What do you enjoy most about working for Warrumbungle Shire Council?
Having worked in the private sector earlier in my career, I find that working for Council gives greater meaning to what I do. It allows me to see firsthand how the work my colleagues and I do positively impacts people's day-to-day lives and helps strengthen our communities.

How does your role help our community?
When designing or delivering infrastructure, my role is to find the best way to align community needs with what is planned for delivery. This means carefully balancing factors such as time, cost and quality to achieve the best possible outcome for the community.

What's one thing you wish more people knew about your team or service?
Much of the work my team and I do is highly technical and happens behind the scenes, so it can be difficult for people to see everything that's involved. Whether we're designing a structure, surveying a property or managing information through Geographic Information Systems, people usually only see the finished result, not all the planning and work that made it possible.

It's a bit like the foundation of a building. Most people never see it, but without it, everything above can quickly fall apart.

What's been one of your proudest moments working at Council?
Although I've been involved in projects worth millions of dollars, one of my proudest moments came from one of the smallest and least expensive projects.

After designing and coordinating the construction of the Mendooran picnic shelter and accessible pathway, I completed the handover inspection with the builder on the final day and then headed to the nearby café for a coffee.

An elderly couple, who appeared to be travelling through Mendooran, were a few steps ahead of me in the queue. After collecting their coffees and sandwiches, the gentleman started heading towards a table inside the café. The lady then said, "Let's go over to the new shelter, they've got some nice benches there too."

They walked over to the shelter we had just completed.

Hearing that absolutely made my day. Seeing people enjoy something we had delivered gave me an instant sense of satisfaction that was hard to match. It was a simple reminder that even the smallest projects can make a real difference to people's everyday lives.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work, I spend much of my time building a couple of small businesses focused on supporting smaller communities. I enjoy being a creator, developing, organising and improving business processes, even on a small scale.

I also started playing tennis about a year ago and have grown to love it, something I never would have imagined a couple of years ago. It's also helped me connect with the fantastic tennis community across the Warrumbungle Shire.

What's one thing you love about the Warrumbungle Shire?
After living in three metropolitan cities across three different countries, I started working for Warrumbungle Shire Council as a casual employee, planning to stay only until I finished my studies before moving back to a city.

Nearly five years later, I'm still here.

The welcoming community and peaceful environment remind me of my childhood and have made me realise this is the kind of place where I truly belong.