EXOTIC MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT.

The Silk Road is more than 2,000 years old. For 1,500 years this network extending from China to the Mediterranean was the trade route for silk, tea and spices, as well as horses, camels and religious exchange.

Warriors including Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Timur the Lame used these routes to invade their neighbours.

Join us for a fascinating evening with archaeologist Dr Iain Shearer, Mongolian throat singer Bukhu and MC Suzanne Rosa.

Enjoy delicious global food by PlateItForward while raising funds for the Asylum Seekers Centre. Our silent auction features beautiful miniature paintings, silks, weavings and ceramics from the Silk Road, plus wines, gourmet & beauty products and activities.

Tickets are $95 with a limited number of concession tickets. Your ticket includes delicious canapes and a light meal. Drinks available to purchase at the bar.

Dr Shearer will share his love of history and travel, and enthral you with stories from Uzbekistan, Persia and Afghanistan. Iain has spent the last 25 years working around the globe excavating, researching and leading tours for The British Museum and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Bukhu is the only Mongolian throat-singer in Australia. Be amazed by his oral capacity and his performance of the horse hair fiddle (morin khuur). Bukhu is an ARIA nominated musician and has appeared on The Voice on Team Guy Sebastian.

This is an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy yourself while contributing to the vital work of the Asylum Seekers Centre (ASC) in Newtown. 100% of net proceeds go directly to ASC.

What: A Night on the Silk Road - Cocktail-style fundraiser

Where: Kyiv Social, 202 Broadway, Chippendale 2008

When: Tuesday 23 September 2025 6pm to 9pm

Why: Enjoy entertainment, music, art and food in support of refugees and asylum seekers. Silent auction includes hand crafted items from the Silk Road.

More about our speakers and performers.

Dr Iain Shearer

Iain Shearer was educated at University College London’s Institute of Archaeology. He is the former Sackler Scholar for Afghanistan and Iran at The British Museum. In 2008 he was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Iain is a Research Affiliate at The Centre for Applied Archaeology University College London, currently on secondment to the V&A Museum. He has excavated and worked in Afghanistan, Iran, Caucasus, Balkans, Central Asia, Pakistan and the Middle East. Iain has worked extensively on conflict archaeology, researching battles and sites of warfare.

Bukhu

Musician, singer, songwriter Bukhchuluun Ganburged, or Bukhu, graduated from the Mongolian Music and Dance Conservatory in 2007 where he was recognised as a virtuoso throat-singer and Morin Khuur (horse fiddle) musician. Bakhu was granted Australian residency on a Distinguished Talent Visa as an internationally recognised artist with exceptional and outstanding contributions to the arts. His work has appeared in media exhibitions at the Art Gallery of NSW and the Powerhouse Museum.

The evocative sounding horse-fiddle contains130 hairs from a stallion’s tail and 105 from a mare’s tail.

Suzanne Rosa

Our MC Suzanne works with individuals, organisations and influencers to build cohesive relationships in community, government and not for profits. She is a creative director for the Museum of Freedom of Tolerance and former curator for TEDxPerth. She is an active ambassador for R U OK? and Nakuru Hope, and a nominee for Western Australian of the Year 2016.

For the past 4 years Suzanne has provided valuable support and expertise to IW4R. Suzanne has facilitated workshops, conversations and fundraisers, helping to shift hearts and minds while raising awareness of the issues impacting asylum seekers. IW4R is extremely grateful to Suzanne.

Asylum Seekers Centre (ASC)

The Asylum Seekers Centre is a place of welcome which provides practical and personal support for people living in the community who are seeking asylum. Support services include accommodation, financial relief, health care, employment assistance, education, material aid and recreational activities. The Centre campaigns to improve public laws and policies, and to bring about change.

The Asylum Seekers Centre is a non-for-profit organisation which relies on philanthropic grants, donations and some state government support, as well as a team of staff and more than 400 volunteers.

PlateItForward

Established by Shaun Christie-David, PlateItForward and Kyiv Social combine to provide an intimate venue and delicious food. These social enterprises harness the power of food through a mix of hospitality and charity. The menu blends home cooking techniques, international recipes and contemporary Australian flavours.

PlateItForward provides education, employment and training to people experiencing disadvantage. Plate It Forward was awarded the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Community Human Rights Champion.