Boys taken from their families, institutionalised, allocated numbers and beaten, their names no longer relevant.
It sounds like a centuries-old practice but in Australia that was the reality for many indigenous children just decades ago.
"Some of them talk about not knowing how to love," Healing Foundation CEO Richard Weston told AAP.
"They grew up disconnected from their families, disconnected from their people."
The stolen generation is trying to heal but the pain is still there.
Friday is the seventh anniversary of the National Apology and Australia's indigenous are gradually learning to talk with each other about their experiences.
The Healing Foundation is helping them through healing programs and centres, while also training and educating indigenous Australians.
"This is stuff that's still with us today," Mr Weston said.
"We need to break that cycle of intergenerational trauma because the trauma causes the pain-based behaviour."
Those behaviours often include alcohol abuse, physical abuse and neglecting children.
The Healing Foundation was established as part of the recommendations of the 1997 Bringing Them Home report.
But the Abbott government's new indigenous advancement strategy, which requires indigenous programs to apply for funding based on their effectiveness, has injected uncertainty into its operations.
"In order for us to keep building, we need a government to commit to us," Mr Weston said.
"There's an element of government responsibility to support healing for our people, because a lot of the challenges and problems we face are the result of past practice."
The anniversary of the National Apology follows the release of the latest Closing the Gap report which shows that little or no progress has been made on reaching many of Australia's targets.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said he was committed to improving those outcomes.
"There is a long road ahead to reconcile the wrongs of the past, but by building mutual respect and working together to get kids to school for a quality education, we are starting on the right track," he said.
The minister reaffirmed his commitment to "fixing" the Australian Constitution to recognise indigenous people.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has flagged May 2017 for a possible referendum on constitutional recognition.
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