Back to People Spotlight: Meet Our Team
Public WorksAsset ManagementSouth Australia
Tonkin's People Spotlight gives you behind the scenes insights about the technical specialists in our business.
Melinda is based in our Adelaide office and leads our Local Government Civil Team, helping deliver critical community infrastructure. Her approach is grounded in curiosity and a willingness to keep learning - understanding that great civil engineering isn’t just about calculations, but about people, communities, and delivering the right outcomes.
Melinda is based in our Adelaide office and leads our Local Government Civil Team, helping deliver critical community infrastructure. Her approach is grounded in curiosity and a willingness to keep learning - understanding that great civil engineering isn’t just about calculations, but about people, communities, and delivering the right outcomes.
What are you most proud of achieving during your engineering career?
Firstly, having chosen civil engineering as a career in the first place, which was a choice I made a long time ago and I am still delighted by it most days. It’s hard to pick one thing I’m most proud of, but one of my favourite jobs was a floodplain infrastructure program for the delivery of large, complex water works.
The worry is always that building infrastructure in beautiful places might spoil things without adding value, but we saw immediate benefits to cultural heritage, ecology and water security on completion of this work - I feel genuinely privileged to have worked on this project, and with the people I worked with.
The worry is always that building infrastructure in beautiful places might spoil things without adding value, but we saw immediate benefits to cultural heritage, ecology and water security on completion of this work - I feel genuinely privileged to have worked on this project, and with the people I worked with.
What advice would you give to someone starting out as a Civil Engineer?
Always be curious and be willing to learn from every situation. Communicate and collaborate as effectively and as much as you can. Civil engineering isn’t just about calculations, it’s about problem-solving, communication, and really understanding the needs of clients and communities.
Seek mentors, ask questions, and don’t try and hide mistakes – they are harder to fix, and this is where the true learning can come from.
Seek mentors, ask questions, and don’t try and hide mistakes – they are harder to fix, and this is where the true learning can come from.
What is one thing you think Tonkin does exceptionally well?
I work with committed and knowledgeable people, and our focus is on combining technical expertise with strong stakeholder engagement. We deliver innovative and technically robust solutions without losing sight of client and community needs.
What really stands out in our civil team is how we deliver outcomes that have lasting value to the community, taking a nimble and flexible approach to get the best value for our clients.
What really stands out in our civil team is how we deliver outcomes that have lasting value to the community, taking a nimble and flexible approach to get the best value for our clients.
How do you build a good relationship with your clients?
By being transparent, approachable, and solution-focused. I make an effort to listen and truly understand a client’s priorities, challenges, and drivers, and keep them informed of progress or hurdles at every stage.
I make sure clients feel involved in decision-making by providing alternatives where appropriate, but with a recommended favoured option. The approach of our civil team means that we are confident our solutions are not just technically sound but aligned with client goals and community benefits.
I make sure clients feel involved in decision-making by providing alternatives where appropriate, but with a recommended favoured option. The approach of our civil team means that we are confident our solutions are not just technically sound but aligned with client goals and community benefits.