Families in the town, near Kagua, have no electricity, no running water and no toilet. The Lokos can not afford a car.
Tomorrow week at Parramatta Stadium, this proud PNG farmer will run out representing the Kumuls in a Four Nations Test match against a glamorous Australian team worth nearly $10 million.
Like many in PNG, Loko loves the game of rugby league. He says he respects the Australian Kangaroos but they are not his heroes.
In his village, 22-year-old Loko works on the land, walking 10km a day tending to his family's crops, vegetables and "looking after the chickens".
With his parents, four brothers and two sisters, the Loko family earns about 60 PGK kina a day. That's $20 Australian. Most of the Kangaroos earn about $1500 a day.
Rising at daybreak, Loko tends to the family crops - growing yams, watermelons, bananas and sugarcane for the local market.
Like most people in the small villages in PNG's Southern Highlands, he bathes in the local stream.
When the work's finished, Loko musters enough energy to train and play for the local Moiks club.
Nicknamed "The Raging Bull" by Port Moresby's media, Loko has now been chosen as a forward for the Four Nations games against Australia, New Zealand and England.
The Kumuls aren't expected to win a match or come within 40 points of their full-time professional rivals.
But for Loko, just playing a Test match is a victory and a dream come true.
Loko left school in Year 9 to support his family. He has never previously been outside PNG yet now finds himself in camp in Brisbane before flying to Sydney early next week.
His English is limited, his answers one word at a time.
After a difficult two-minute interview, The Daily Telegraph asks teammate Paul Aiton, who plays for the Cronulla Sharks, to interpret.
Loko tells us he is looking forward to representing Papua New Guinea and taking on Australia, England and New Zealand. "But I don't really look up to anyone," he says.
"I am nervous but I want to be a hero myself to people back home in PNG."
Another PNG teammate, Rodney Pora, who plays for the Agmark Rabaul Gurias, is a close friend of Loko's.
"They [Loko family] live off the land," Pora said. "They have a large family and don't get much money each day.
"Coming to Australia is a big change for David but he has a positive attitude. He wants to be a role model and compete with the best and prove he, too, is someone."
Privately, Australian officials hope - through stories such as this - that the Kangaroos players realise how good their lives really are.
There is a gap between the two teams in money and exposure - but not passion for rugby league.
Loko will be out to crunch a few Aussies. He will certainly earn his $2.20 next Sunday.
After reading this .. I want PNG to rip australia in half! I hope those kangaroos learn something from this because im sure I did !
Replies
It's not Parra's Loko - bit hard for him to work on the family farm in PNG and then train at Parra, not to mention Loko is in our Toyota Cup team (under 20s)
Go the Kumuls !!!!
and it is an eye opener to how good some people have it here in the motherland(lol) compared to some less fortunate true league lovers that live less than 2 hrs away from this great country
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