The Hawker and Narrabundah shops and the Canberra Hospital also feature their sculptures and mosaics.

The couple are well known for their connections to the Australian National University School of Art: Townsend studied there, as did their son Harry, who is a technician in the sculpture workshop. Their daughter Rose is also a student at the school of art, completing a degree in printmaking.

And in Braidwood they are well loved, especially for their contribution to the Braidwood Central School where their metal work program has enthused the students and led to some award-winning work.

So it was with a deep sense of shock that the arts communities in both Canberra and Braidwood learnt that the Braidwood studio used by the couple for the past 25 years was destroyed by fire on August 15.

Not only was a lifetime of work and documents destroyed but so, too, their tools. The studio, which they built next to their home opposite the Anglican church hall in Wilson Street, was also a storehouse of their memories and creative spirit.

''A lot of it is the documentation of our whole history of working as artists,'' Townsend said.

Two in-train works in the studio were damaged but salvageable - one the makings of a sculpture of the French explorer La Perouse, which is destined for the Red Hill shops in Canberra, and another, a large horse for a private company in Sydney.

Town and country have rallied to help them.

People have appeared at their back door with casseroles or a plate of scones. Someone left a circular saw on their verandah. The ANU School of Art has offered them an artist-in-residency so that they can use space in the sculpture workshop to continue their commissions. A fund-raiser is being held in October at the Altenburg and Co Gallery in Braidwood. It's called, appropriately, the Phoenix Party.

The couple had limited insurance coverage and they need to continue to work. ''The replacement of our tools is kind of critical to us as human beings, as artists,'' Townsend said.

Wendy Teakel, head of Sculpture Workshop at the ANU School of Art, said it wanted to help in any way it could.''We wanted to do something to help get them back on their feet. They are well known at the school of art and they do a lot for the community. They've actually changed a lot of people's lives.''

Bleach and Townsend have been moved by the generosity shown to them by their community and the ANU, despite never believing they would be in a position of needing to ask for help.

''Some locals here have just said, 'Look, this is what it's all about, this is what our community is all about, it binds the fabric of the community and connects people with each other','' Townsend said. ''In the blink of an eye, with the fire, we've been reminded of why we live here and what life's all about.''

Townsend said the fire was probably started by a spark from an angle grinder. But he and Bleach sat and talked for some time after they finished their work for the day and detected nothing awry.

''The bizarre thing is, for an hour we were sitting here and didn't see anything or smell anything. And I wish we had,'' he said.

Joining the onesie craze, Canberra Grammar School has made an attempt at the Guinness world record for the the biggest crowd wearing the suits, while at the same time raising awareness for the Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter.

They were gathered for the launch of the Onesie Funsie Walkie Runsie, an idea from the students themselves involving a four-kilometre walk/run around Lake Burley Griffin next March.

The Snowy helicopter landed on the school's oval on Friday for the launch of the event. Snowy Hydro SouthCare media manager Kate van Haalen said it was one of the more unusual ways money has been raised for the helicopter service.

''It's events like this that can really highlight within the community the work that the helicopter does. It's a bit more fun and unique - a nice positive spin on emergency services,'' she said.

An invitation to participate in more fund-raising events was extended to about 40 schools, many of which have agreed to hold Onesie Wednesdays.

The helicopter service costs almost $7 million a year to run and - in its 15th year - it is still carrying out regular rescue operations in the ACT and southern NSW.

The Lake Burley Griffin event will take place on March 2 and will feature another attempt at the Guinness world record.

Manager of the event Alana Hyde said the walk would be a good opportunity to have another attempt at the record (currently 722 people) and also to provide support for such an essential service in the ACT. Jessica Hann