Marines Praise Exchange Operations, Cooperative Spirit at Robertson Barracks in Australia

One of the most remote and unusual Exchanges is at Camp Robertson Barracks, on the northern coast of Australia, where the Exchange has had a presence since World War II.

In 2016, the Exchange began a joint venture with the Marine Corps Exchange. Marines provide the staff, and the Exchange provides the merchandise.

In late January, Pacific Region Senior Enlisted Advisor Sgt. Maj. Generose Green, Pacific Region Retail Program Specialist Jonathan Brickey and Okinawa Retail Business Manager Danny Cawood visited the Robertson Barracks Exchange, which consists of a small store about the size of a troop store and a “mini-store” at a maintenance hangar.

At Robertson Barracks, there are two seasons of operations: “Wet,” from October to March, and “Dry,” from April to the end of September. The busiest time for the Exchange is the Dry season, when there is an influx of 2,500-plus Marines and other military units from other countries. During the Wet season, the larger store is usually staffed by two Marines. During the Dry season, as many as five Marines staff the store. The smaller store is usually staffed by one Marine.

Green, Brickey and Cawood met with Maj. Jack Free, the officer in charge of the Wet season detachment, who expressed his appreciation of the operation.

“On my first arrival as a site survey, I was shown the primary BX,” Free told the group. “I was then told of the other location, which surprised me to have more than one location. I was then taken to the maintenance hangar and kept wondering what I would see. Then seeing the mini-location dedicated for the maintenance Marines blew my mind.

“Since that first visit till now, the Exchange has been there for us,” Free continued. “As we would adjust our hours, late into the night, the mini-BX would adjust and open for some of those hours. It wasn’t something we asked for but they adjusted to best support us. They move the schedule to support the Marines. There were no requirements to open but 100% pure initiative. It’s the same taste and feel of back home. To me, it’s a 5-minute vacation back home.”

This was the first visit to Roberston Barracks for Green, who has been senior enlisted advisor for Pacific Region since spring 2022. She said it was a very successful trip.

“When we sat down with the command team to get their feedback on how the Exchange is supporting them, they were very happy,” Green said. “They were pleased to see the Army & Air Force Exchange Service supporting the Marines. Maj. Free said that when he saw the mini-store at the maintenance hangar, he truly felt ‘One team, one fight.’”

It was also the first visit for Brickey, who has been based in Okinawa since 2019, and moved from Loss Prevention to retail seven months ago.

“Robertson Barracks is a very nice deployment location,” he said. “The Marines treat it as a six- to 12-month deployment, depending on the time cycle of when they get there and when their final flight leaves. It’s a training location for the Australian Army, and working side-by-side with the Marines provides multinational cooperation.”

An Australian organization, Army & Air Force Canteen Service (AAFCANS), operates an Exchange for the Australian troops. “But it doesn’t provide the sense of home that we provide for U.S. troops,” Brickey said. “I think that’s the best part, that the main location and the location inside the rotational hangar offer the quick sense of relief, the quick sense of home, and brings the troops back to what their mission is for that short time.”

Other Rotational Force Marines told the Exchange representatives that both locations are great for morale.

“Getting some of the products they’re used to from the States and seeing them on the shelves are nice reminders of what they left and what they’re going back to,” Brickey said. “One Marine said something along the lines of, ‘The Oreos are just like I remember from California, so it brings me back to that.’”

Green and Brickey said that the Exchange is working on adding inventory at Robertson Barracks. “We’re trying to look at other assortments we can bring in,” Brickey said. “We’d like to add more grab-and-go, freezer foods and items like that.”