A WELL-respected Carmarthen man has followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather by becoming High Sheriff of Dyfed. John David Alan Thomas, known to most as Johnny Thomas, was officially sworn in at a grand ceremony in Carmarthen's Guildhall last Thursday. He takes over from Mrs. Penny Drew, of New Moat. A resident of Nantgaredig, 69-year-old Mr. Thomas, a former Carmarthen garage manager, wore the uniform his great-grandfather, Thomas Jones, of Llanelli, wore when he was made High Sheriff in 1912. Immediate past president of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, Mr. Thomas is well-known for his hobby of buying, building and re-building vintage cars. After the ceremony, Mr. Thomas and his wife Binks left in style in a 1903 Clement motor car. "It is a great honour and I'm thrilled to be following in my great-grandfather's footsteps," Mr. Thomas told the Observer. "I am looking forward to doing my best for the whole of Dyfed."